While the price is an important factor when you buy a new car, you should also consider the larger ‘package’ that a brand offers. You are going to have the car for a while and having an enjoyable ownership experience where the dealer looks after your needs will make a difference to that experience. How the company cares for its customers is also very important.
Honda Malaysia, for instance, has a high standard of customer care and that is now being demonstrated by its Flood Relief Programme to provide aid to Honda customers whose vehicle have been affected by the recent floods. With this programme, repair services with reduced parts prices for affected Honda customers at the flood-stricken areas will be available until January 31, 2022 (terms and conditions apply).
Honda owners who purchased their vehicles from authorised Honda dealers in Malaysia will be entitled to a 25% discount on genuine parts when they bring their vehicles to any authorised Honda service centre for an assessment and inspection service, as well as repairs.
Owners who have chosen Honda Insurance Plus (HiP) can enjoy a free inspection (terms and conditions apply) for their vehicles to ensure that they are safe to drive and in good running condition, especially after the floods.
In addition to providing towing service for vehicles damaged by the floods to the nearest authorised Honda dealership, HiP customers are entitled to receive flood allowance of up to RM1,500 to alleviate their burden. At the same time, Honda Malaysia is working closely with the insurance companies to expedite the claim process for affected customers.
“We are deeply saddened by the floods that have inundated several states in Malaysia, which resulted in the evacuation of many people from their homes and caused significant damage to their properties and motor vehicles. Striving to be a company society wants to exist, we continue to look for ways to help the communities around us who are in need. We hope that with the rolling out of this Flood Relief Programme, we can help to relieve the burden of our valued customers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people who are affected by the floods, and we hope everyone continues to stay safe during these challenging times,” said Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director & CEO, Madoka Chujo.
For more information on the Flood Relief Programme and HiP, owners can call Honda Malaysia’s Toll-Free number at 1-800-88-2020 or visit www.honda.com.my.
If the way the GR Supra looks is not sporty enough for you and you live in North America, there’s an opportunity to get one which is more exclusively styled and also limited to only 600 units. It’s the GR Supra A91-CF Edition which is said to be the most exclusive Mark 5 Supra to date. Customers can choose either a 3-litre or 2-litre engine, the former an inline-6 and the latter, an inline-4.
On the outside, the A91-CF Edition has handmade carbonfibre on the front splitter with larger canards, while its carbonfibre rockers define the sides. Around the back, the carbonfibre treatment continues, with a duckbill spoiler catching the air as it flows off the rear glass, and larger, lower canards doing so down below.
This aero kit isn’t just for looks; its functional purpose improves downforce and stability during both everyday drives and hot laps around the track. Additionally, unique 19-inch wheels sport a matte-black texture that complement special edition’s matte-grey Phantom paint colour, besides Absolute Zero White and Nitro Yellow which are other colour choices. Additionally, depending on the version, there are also colours like Nocturnal, Renaissance Red, Tungsten and Turbulence Gray.
The cockpit is also given an exclusive touch with refinements throughout. A red-and-black theme is used and there’s Alcantara and leather trim. The sport seats have red stitching details with 14-way power adjustment as well as heating. Carbonfibre is also used inside for some interior trim, while the 3-spoke steering wheel is leather-wrapped and sport pedals are standard.
For the 2021 model year, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing engineers boosted output of the Supra’s turbocharged 3-litre 6-cylinder inline-six from 335 to 382 bhp, a 14% increase after just one year on the market. Torque has been increased by very slightly to almost 500 Nm and peaking 500 rpm higher.
The 2-litre 4-cylinder engine shares much of its technology with the 3-litre unit, including a twin-scroll turbo, direct fuel injection and continuously variable timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. It delivers up to 255 bhp/400 Nm to take the Supra from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in a claimed 5 seconds. An 8-speed transmission is standard for both engines.
The Supra 3.0 chassis was also tweaked heading into its second year of production. Lightweight aluminium braces were added to increase lateral rigidity, along with front and rear bump stops and new damper tuning. Revised programming for the electric power steering, Adaptive Variable Suspension, Vehicle Stability Control and Active Differential have improved stability through quick transitions, such as compound turns.
Although the Mitsubishi Triton truck, XPANDER MPV and Outlander SUV have more ground clearance and can cross flooded stretches of road without much problem, the recent floods in many parts of the country have been extremely severe. In many areas, the water level has been so high that vehicles have been almost fully submerged. There’s no way that any vehicle can escape from damage in such an extreme condition and for owners, there will be an expensive repair bill.
To help ease this unexpected expense (especially at a time when many are facing financial challenges), Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) has a flood relief program for Mitsubishi owners in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Pahang who have suffered vehicle damage due to the floods.
Discounts on parts and labour
Under the program, Mitsubishi vehicle owners (who purchased their vehicles from authorised Mitsubishi Motors dealers) will be given a 30% discount on Mitsubishi genuine parts and a 50% discount on labour costs for all repair work done on flood-damaged vehicles at authorised Mitsubishi Motors service centres. This offer available until January 20, 2022.
Free or subsidised towing services
In addition, MMM will also support Mitsubishi owners by offering free towing services. All the owners need to do is to contact Mitsubishi Assist 24Hrs customer careline (MA24) at 1-800-88-2166 to request this service which will bring their vehicle to the nearest authorised Mitsubishi Motors service centre. In the event that they do not use MA24 and do not have insurance coverage for towing there vehicle to the nearest authorised service centre, they can still apply for rebates worth up to RM300. However, they are required to lodge a police report concerning the vehicle being caught n a flood.
“Our thoughts are with Malaysians impacted by the aftermath of the flash floods tragedy. All of our service staff and authorized dealers are ready to assist our Mitsubishi owners with their affected vehicles. We hope that this flood relief program will help ease the burden of our customers going through this difficult time,” said Shinya Ikeda, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia.
Although Mitsubishi vehicles have high ground clearance which enables them to cross flooded roads and rough terrain, the recent floods were severe and many vehicles were damaged by water reaching above the window level.
For further information on the flood relief program, call MMM’s Customer Careline at 1-800-18-8161. To locate an authorised Mitsubishi Motors dealership, click here: www.mitsubishi-motors.com.my/service-locator/ .
The floods have affected thousands around Malaysia and for many families, there will be big expenditures ahead as they repair and replaced damaged property, not to mention the tiring job of cleaning up houses that were flooded with muddy water. And then there will also be the costs of repairing cars that were flooded; as you will have seen in pictures, it’s not just vehicles parked at home but also some that were on roadsides and got submerged.
The repair costs can run to many thousands and electronic systems that need to be replaced will be expensive. Not to mention the fact that the vehicle, even after being cleaned, is likely to have a smell and might just not feel the same.
To help relieve some of the stresses and reduce expenses, a number of car companies are offering assistance to their customers. The latest to announce such an initiative is Proton, which will offer a 20% discount on selected parts as well as a 20% discount on labour charges for all customers affected by the flood who have lodged a police report regarding the incident. Additionally, towing charges of up to RM200 as well as cleaning charges for the exterior and engine bay up to RM100 will also be borne by the company.
“Exceptional circumstances require an exceptional response. Proton will be working hard to ensure we can repair cars as quickly as possible and advise all affected customers to visit our authorised service centres to enjoy these benefits. Furthermore, our genuine parts are offered with a warranty so they can be assured of the quality of the repairs,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.
Although Proton has a factory in Tg. Malim, Perak, its original factory is still operating in Shah Alam, near to where much of the flooding has occurred. According to Encik Roslan, the company has been lucky the production lines were spared from any flooding. However, more than 1,000 of its staff have been affected so the company is mobilising Kelab PROTON, an in-house social and wellbeing organisation for all staff, to create care packages and offer clean up assistance to them and their families.
Encik Roslan advises those who require assistance and information on vehicle repairs to call PROTON’s customer care line at 1-800-88-8398.
NIO may not be known in Malaysia or even in most countries, but it is one of the steadily growing car companies from China which started business focusing on just electric vehicles. It’s a ‘new generation’ carmaker, just 4 years old, and already has at least 4 models on sale. Though most of its sales are in China, it has also entered Norway and next year, will be in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. By 2025, NIO expects to have a presence in over 25 countries and regions worldwide.
Joining the carmaker’s 4 models in 2022 will be a new model known as the ET5. It is the brand’s most compact car to date and used the concept of ‘Design for Autonomous Driving’ during its development. It has the latest NIO Autonomous Driving (NAD) systems with NIO Aquila Super Sensing and NIO Adam Super Computing. Additional NAD features will be gradually introduced after further development and validation.
Having started off with electric vehicles, NIO has naturally gained much expertise in developing fully electric powertrains and now has various types for different models. For the ET5, it will use a high-performance powertrain with proven dual motor architecture. This consists of a 150 kW induction asynchronous motor in the front and 210 kW permanent magnet motor at the rear generating peak torque up to 700 Nm.
Straightline acceleration is impressive with 0 to 100 km/h achieved in a claimed 4.3 seconds. The range claims are also impressive: reaches over 550 kms with a 75 kWh Standard Range Battery; over 700 kms with the 100 kWh Long Range Battery; and over 1,000 kms with a 150 kWh Ultralong Range Battery.
NIO developed and promotes the battery-swapping concept which reduces some cost to the customer who can then pay for fresh batteries when swapping. Since opening the first battery-swapping station in China in 2018, it has set up over 500 stations and by the end of October this year, 4 million battery swaps had been done. The NIO Power Swap is an automatic process where the car parks itself inside a station and it takes less than 5 minutes. The company also has 6,000 Power Chargers and 10,000 destination chargers across China.
A NIO Battery-Swapping station in China.
With these new generation of carmakers, the question of experience in making cars safe is sometimes asked. They may be able to have great designs and advanced technology but what about the car’s performance in accidents? According to NIO, the ET5 has been designed to meet the stringent 5-star C-NCAP (China’s NCAP) and Euro NCAP standards. This is achieved using an ultra-high-strength steel-aluminium hybrid body with the very high torsional stiffness. The ultra-low centre of gravity, at 482.6 mm, and wheel track of 1685 mm, are also said to enable the ET5 to achieve a rollover-resistance rating of 1.7, above the US NHTSA’s 5-star criteria.
The sleek 4.7-metre long body is aerodynamically efficient with a Cd of 0.24, important for an electric car. Contributing to this level of efficiency are the rear ducktail spoiler and details such as the air curtain, flush door handles and frameless windows that create cleaner lines. Its form draws on the fluid silhouette of the ET7 while the muscular haunches are inspired by the EP9 supercar.
Evolving NIO’s concept of the ‘second living room’, the cabin of the ET5 was inspired by trends in furniture, fashion, and footwear, so it’s a sophisticated space with a warm touch. A larger glasshouse and panoramic glazed roof create a bright interior complemented by natural and organic hues including the brand’s new Terracotta, a deep and fiery orange.
Recycled and more sustainable materials are used as much as possible. The Clean+ sustainable fabric not only forms a relaxing cocooning ambiance but is also said to improve the acoustic performance of the cabin. Smart invisible air vents were developed for a neater and more cohesive design whilst a 256-color ambient light feature offers the chance to create an atmosphere to suit various moods. The standard audio system uses Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 surround sound system.
Set to be an industry first, the ET5’s PanoCinema is a panoramic and immersive digital cockpit with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. NIO partnered with NREAL, an AR device company, to jointly develop AR glasses (exclusive to NIO) which can project an effective screen size of 201-inch at 6 metres.
NIO also collaborated with NOLO to jointly develop the VR Glasses that employ ultra-thin Pancake lenses, to create a binocular 4K display effect. The 10.2-inch HDR instrument cluster boosts the vividness of images.
The ET5 will be priced from RMB 328,000 in China (about RM216,700) but customers can also get subsidies to reduce the cost. First deliveries are expected to start in September 2022 although before then, the flagship ET7 will have started going to customers in March.
