Not content with just winning, Audi Sport customer racing has launched a small series of its race cars.
Audi R8 LMS GT2 Tactical green
This took place shortly after the company’s first two major victories with the Audi R8 LMS GT2 at Monza.
Audi R8 LMS GT2 Kyalami green
This six characterful colours transform the most powerful model of the R8 LMS into unique individual collectors items.
Audi R8 LMS GT2 Vegas yellow
The colours also have unique names: Kyalami Green, Misano Red, Nogaro Blue, Sebring Black, Tactical Green, Vegas Yellow.
Audi R8 LMS GT2 Misano red
These unique colours for the R8 LMS GT2 marks the first time in the 13 year history of Audi Sport customer racing where such a colour concept is made available to Audi customers.
These cars in such a unique colour are a one-off and guarantees pure individuality and will never be available again.
Audi R8 LMS GT2 Nogaro blue
The cars retain the ‘made-in-Hungary’ 640hp V10 that also powers the production R8 while the chassis is the same aluminium-CFRP composite that lays the foundation for the racing R8.
Audi R8 LMS GT2 Sebring black
The ready to race Audi R8 LMS GT2 is available at 349,000 Euros (plus VAT).
How do you judge a car in just three or four days?
There really isn’t much you can say about it other than the way it drives, how the interior feels, and the overall efficiency.
That is the issue with motoring journalism in Malaysia.
So the best way to properly understand a car is to look into a forum where other owners share their experience.
Or to drive a somewhat high mileage car that has been properly used and abused by other members of the Malaysian motoring fraternity.
Which is what I did when Volkswagen Malaysia handed me a car with a little over 10,000km on the odo.
There is no doubt that the Volkswagen Arteon is one the best looking car of its segment.
It created waves when it was first introduced to the world, and it still turns heads today.
At about RM220,000, it seems a better buy than the established competition; the BMW 3-Series, the Mercedes C-Class and the Audi A4.
It is a lot bigger than the competition and a lot more spacious.
And surprisingly offers more creature comforts, though it does not offer as much safety tech as the other Germans.
And that is what makes it fall short of being utterly perfect.
But then again, the Arteon also has held up surprisingly well after 10,000km in the hands of motoring journos.
Of course the cars are fully refurbished before being passed from one journo to another, but there are things that simply cannot be done so quickly.
Such as seat bolstering, faded plastics, buttons that become undone and surfaces that are easily scratched such as the door sills.
I found none of that in this Arteon.
What I did find though is that in the 5-6 days that I had the car, the entertainment system failed on me, once!
This was when I wanted to switch from the Apple CarPlay, to which I was connected to wirelessly, to a regular radio station.
I had Google Maps running (not a fan of Waze) and perhaps the onboard processor had too much.
The system then wouldn’t respond for a couple of minutes, and then it went blank for another couple of minutes.
Shortly after it restarted and was fine for the rest of my drive time.
Just tech being tech, I guess.
But other than that though, I have nothing but praises.
I loved the spaciousness of the Arteon.
For the first time ever, I did not need to move the front passenger seat forwards to accommodate my kid’s rear facing car seat.
The 563 litre booth accommodated everything you need to manage a child over a weekend, plus groceries, plus the wife’s bags, and then some.
Just for reference, the booth is slightly smaller than that of the Passat, but yet is bigger than the 4-Series and the Audi A5 Sportback.
The entertainment system, despite that one issue I experienced with it, was impressive with a 700W 12-speaker DynAudio sound system.
Metallica’s S&M album never sounded so good in a mid-segment passenger car.
The wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity is truly god sent, and something Mercedes-Benz and BMW should take a card from.
However, I do feel the engine does not do justice to the car’s good looks.
The 2.0-litre engine produces just 187hp and 320Nm of torque.
But for those with a need for speed, there is the Arteon R that produce over 300hp.
But it has never been officially offered in Malaysia save for that one time Volkswagen showcased a demo car to gauge public interest.
That didn’t go too well since it would have costed over RM300,000.
But the one great thing that the standard Arteon does incredibly well is fuel efficiency.
I did about 550km during my drive and still had about a quarter tank left when it came time to return the car.
Volkswagen also claims that the Arteon needs just 6.3 litres of fuel to travel 100km on the combined cycle.
And this technically means that in an ideal scenario, the Arteon can travel 1000km with its 66-litre tank. This does depend on how heavy your right foot is though.
Despite its frugal nature, the Arteon also offers the usual array of Drive Modes that make the car sharper or comfortable, all at the touch of a button.
This either stiffens or softens the suspension, adjusts the steering wheel and the accelerator according to the selected drive mode as well.
This did lead to a more interesting drive in Sport mode as the car generally felt more eager.
Even after 10,000km of being driven by people determined to bring out the worst in the car, yours truly included, the Arteon has been steadfast.
The interior is always the first place that wear and tear sets in, and is not easy nor cheap to restore, and despite that the interior of this Arteon has held well.
The powertrain too has proven to the naysayers that Volkswagen has left its old engine and gearbox issues firmly in the past.
And for if you regularly maintain it with care, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
If you do buy brand new, the entire ownership experience is made better with a five-year warranty and a three-year free maintenance program.
Also, it is also worth noting that the new 2021 Volkswagen Arteon is due to be launched in Malaysia real soon.
This means prices of the current Arteon will drop, making it an incredibly good buy in the used car market.
If you can look past the lack of power and appreciate the overall design and the efficiency of the car, then the Arteon would be well worth considering.
Especially when compared to the old guards from Germany.
The Volkswagen Arteon is priced at RM221,065.28 excluding insurance.
Doing shopping online was already gaining popularity among Malaysians before the COVID-19 pandemic started. It offered convenience and an easier way to check out more choices, plus having the goods delivered right to your doorstep.
When the pandemic started and physical contact was discouraged to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, online shopping was already established and with the push by banks to get people to use electronic transactions, e-commerce boomed.
Even car companies started to use online channels as one of their marketing tools, expanding from just having websites that provided information to actually selling as well. Of course, this may not fully replace the personal experience of visiting a showroom, touching the vehicles and sitting in them and, of course, going for a test-drive.
What the online selling approach can do is to start the buying process without the customer having to travel to a showroom and take the process some way along before any physical contact may be necessary. In fact, some companies even offer test-drives if required by sending over the vehicle to the home or office.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn. Bhd. (ETCM) is among the companies that sees online shopping as the way to offer its customers a convenient and secure new Nissan vehicle purchasing experience. They can now do so at the Nissan Flagship Store on the Lazada e-commerce platform.
“We are excited to expand our Nissan models on Lazada, making it readily available to everyone who prefers the convenience of shopping at their fingertips. In this challenging time of COVID-19 pandemic, digitalisation has been fast-tracked and we are confident that this move is another way for the brand to enhance its services and at the same time offer great deals when purchasing a new Nissan on a digital application,” said Christopher Tan, ETCM Sales & Marketing Director.
The full range of Nissan models distributed by ETCM in Malaysia can be found at the Nissan Flagship store, including the latest Navara pick-up truck. ETCM may from time to time have special promotions exclusively for those who book online, saving money or getting extras with their purchase.
In conjunction with the opening of the Nissan Flagship Store, the first 55 customers who book the new Almera 1.0L Turbo, Navara, X-Trail or Serena S-Hybrid will receive a free Nescafe Coffee Machine worth RM 598. The booking fee starts from as low as RM250.
Other promotions available include an Urban accessories package (worth up to RM5,500) with the Almera Turbo and Flexi Financing from RM540 monthly. There’s also a Special Civil Servants Promotion for the model (VL variant) with a starting price from RM71,906.
The X-Trail comes with the IMPUL or Aero Edition accessories package worth up to RM5,600, while the Serena S-Hybrid comes with free maintenance service for the first 3 years of ownership, with parts and labour costs included.
Booking online is as easy as making other online purchases. You just select the model you want to purchase and add it to your cart (which would be a pretty big one!). You can choose a method of making payment for the booking fee and submit your details. A representative of ETCM will then contact you and provide assistance through the rest of the process.
Click here to visit the Nissan Flagship Store or you can also visit www.nissan.com.my for information on Nissan vehicles and services from ETCM in Malaysia.
In conjunction with SpareXHub’s 3rd anniversary, the company will hold a clearance sale with up to 80% off on genuine Ford and Hyundai motor vehicle spare parts. This is a one-time sale which will take place from 10 am on May 6 (Thursday) till 6 pm on May 9 (Sunday).
The location of the sale will be at Lot 24, Jalan Pemberita U1/49 which is in the Temasya Industrial Estate, Glenmarie, Shah Alam, Selangor,
SpareXHub wants to give you a chance to be able to purchase original motor vehicle spare parts at very affordable prices with this special clearance sale. There are over 3,000 parts for various Hyundai models and some 7,000 parts for Ford models. The parts range from service items such as filters and sensors to body parts such as bumpers and windscreens.
SpareXHub brand experts will also be on hand to ensure that you purchase the right parts for your vehicle, and provide the necessary knowledge, information and guidance. You can also browse through the online catalogue at www.sparexhub.com to know what’s available.
SpareXHub has prepared a registration form for all customers to fill up so that their arrival is known and expected, and also to ensure that all COVID-19 regulations and procedures are strictly adhered to. Click on this link (https://forms.gle/zGJReYFB72CMUPvE7) and book your slots today.
Pay less for brand new genuine suspension parts from SpareXHub.
SpareXHub is a trusted e-commerce platform for discounted, genuine auto spare parts. With more than 100+ years of combined experience, the team can curate and pick the right spare parts for customers seamlessly. Using the B2B2C approach, SpareXHub is ready to cater to the needs of automotive stockists, independent workshops and even individual vehicle owners.
There is no compromise on quality as all the parts are 100% genuine and original, ideal for those vehicles that have finished their warranty period.
After the first four months of 2021, Perodua’s total sales volume has passed the 78,000 mark, with April contributing 20,399 units to the number. A big contributor has been the Ativa SUV which accounted for over 22% of the figure (4,624 units). Since its launch in March this year, the carmaker has delivered almost 9,000 units of the Ativa, with around 290 new customers placing bookings daily. The strong demand has stretched the waiting period for customers which, as always, Perodua tries to shorten.
2 – 4 months waiting period
“The waiting period for the Ativa is currently between 2 and 4 months, depending on the desired colour and variant. We advise our valued customers to speak to our authorised sales advisors for accurate and up-to-date delivery times of the various variant-colour combinations of the Ativa,” advised Perodua’s President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.
“Perodua remains committed towards timely deliveries, aided by our economies of scale. We thank our valued customers very much for their patience. We are doing all we can to deliver as many cars as possible before the expected expiry of the government’s sales tax exemption at the end of June,” he said.
Semiconductor chip shortage
On a month-to-month comparison, sales dipped by 16.5% to 20,399 units from 24,431 units, mainly due to the semiconductor chip shortage, which is affecting multiple industries globally.
“The chip shortage is our top priority at present and we are deploying all our resources to deal with it, including working closely with the government and our business partners for viable solutions,” Dato’ Zainal said. “Despite the global semiconductor chip shortage, Perodua managed to produce 20,278 vehicles in April 2021, pushing our year-to-date production to 80,661 units,”
In 2021, Perodua will purchase up to RM6.5 billion worth of parts from suppliers in Malaysia. These include transmissions made at a factory in Negeri Sembilan.
Perodua is maintaining its 2021 sales target at 240,000 units for now. The target represents a 9% increase from the 220,163 units sold last year. The increased volume will also see Perodua making a record purchase of RM6.5 billion worth of locally-sourced components this year. Production is also set to be increased to 272,000 units, 23% more than the output in 2020.
Visit www.perodua.com.my to know more about the models available and where to view, test-drive or purchase them.
