Home - Piston.my

Piston.my

Latest News

New Lexus IS introduces ‘The Lexus Driving Signature’

With the debut of the new Lexus IS sports sedan, the premium brand is introducing the ‘Lexus Driving Signature’ that will become the development standard for all future Lexus models. The company explains that the ‘Lexus Driving Signature’ is defined by linear vehicle operation that is faithful to a driver’s intentions, providing seamless transition from braking to steering and acceleration through a corner.

These Lexus dynamic values were achieved by utilising the country road test course at the company’s new technical centre in Shimoyama, Japan, which opened in 2019. The new test course is based on many years of Lexus experience of driving on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, famous for its gruelling driving conditions.

The new test course has been designed to take advantage of the local topography, featuring a change in elevation of about 75 metres, a wide range of curves and a variety of road surfaces. By repeatedly subjecting both vehicle and engineers to daily tests in this severe driving environment, Lexus was able to devise an ever-higher dimension of vehicle performance – with the new IS being the first product to be ‘born’ at the Shimoyama facility.

Toyota Shimoyama Test Course — *Part of Toyota’s new test course at Shimoyama in Japan.*

Reimagined sports sedan concept
The new IS reimagines the sports sedan concept with a low and wide stance, the sleek proportions of a four-door coupe, slimmer headlights and a lower, sharper side character line that combine to express a centre of gravity closer to the ground. This is further emphasised by single-blade rear combination lights sporting an ‘L’ motif and a sharper overall contour created by the character line around the bootlid.

According to Lexus International Chief Designer Kenichi Hirai, the aim for the new IS was to achieve an aggressive design that evokes a sense of driving. “To achieve a high degree of design, Lexus members in product planning, production technology, engineering, and styling combined their various insights and united behind development from an early stage,” he said.

The elaborate and dimensional forms unique to Lexus are made possible by the use of drawing die construction, the latest in high-precision stamping technology that adds a mechanism that slides in tandem with the movement of the stamping press.

Body rigidity is enhanced by reinforcing radiator side supports, increasing the number of front-side-member weld points and optimising structures from the rear-quarter pillars to the sides of the roof, among other areas.

Focus on driving dynamics
Developing the sports sedan, the focus of the engineers’ attention was on driving dynamics and they sought to improve elements such as responsiveness to driver input and the suppression of unnecessary movement in sprung mass. New swing-valve shock absorbers have been employed and are equipped with ultra-low-velocity valves that respond to even minor road irregularities, generating the most appropriate damping force.

The availability of new-design 19-inch tyres improves cornering performance. Hub bolts are used to fasten the wheels, resulting in tight handling and braking due to increased fastening strength and reduced mass. With optional 18-inch wheels (comparative to the previous IS F Sport), the car rides on a 45mm-wider front track and 50mm-wider rear track.

Three powertrains
Besides the IS 300h hybrid powertrain, there is also an advanced 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine available for the IS 300. This now features enhanced adaptive control for the 8-speed automatic transmission. An 8-speed automatic transmission also continues to be available in the 3.5-litre normally aspirated V6-powered IS 350 (powertrain shown below).

New interior themes
Within the new IS are key firsts which include a new form of Lexus decorative expression for part of the door trim. This features a graphic pattern of embossed intersecting lines, new accents in surface treatments and decorative ornamentation.

A 10.3-inch display screen features newly forward-mounted positioning, touch-display functionality and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for the first time in the model.

Lexus Safety System+ evolved
The Lexus Safety System+ suite has also been upgraded with newly added functions to create a safer on-road experience, including the addition or enhancement of Lane Trace Assist which has improved lane recognition performance that aids stability and comfort by automatically reducing vehicle speed to ensure constant g-forces while driving through curves.

The Pre-Collision Safety System has also been expanded to include intersection detection where, during right turns, the system responds to vehicles and to pedestrians crossing the street from the direction toward which the vehicle was travelling before it started to turn.

Ever since the debut of its first generation in 1999, the IS has pursued the fun of driving unique to compact rear-wheel-drive sports sedans. Approximately 1.09 million units of the sports sedan have been delivered over a span of more than 20 years.

To know more about Lexus models available in Malaysia, visit www.lexus.com.my.

Revised Prices of Mitsubishi SUV models, effective until December 31, 2020

Mitsubishi Outlander — *For those who want a 7-seater SUV, the Outlander would be good value for money and it is now cheaper too.*

Revised Proton prices with additional ‘Tax Holiday’ Promotion

2020 Proton Prices — *Note: Prices shown are for private registration in Peninsular Malaysia with 10% Sales Tax excluded and special promotional rebates. Insurance premiums not included.*

Proton models — Besides the reduction from exemption of 10% Sales Tax, Proton is reducing prices further with a ‘Tax Holiday’ promotion which offers rebates from RM400 to RM7,000, depending on the model and variant.

Isuzu’s Deferred Instalment Campaign allows you to start repayments up to 6 months later

In a move to help its customers in these challenging times, Isuzu Malaysia is having Deferred Instalment Campaign where repayment of instalments under a Hire-Purchase (H-P) loan can start three or six months after the vehicle has been delivered.

The Isuzu Deferment Instalment Campaign is the first of its kind in the pick-up segment in Malaysia and will be available to customers purchasing new vehicles until August 31, 2020.

Explaining the objective of this campaign, Isuzu Malaysia’s Chief Operating Officer (Light Commercial Vehicle Division), Masayuki Suzuki, said it is to help Malaysians move forward during this recovery period. “A capable, dependable and frugal vehicle is a valuable asset today and a good pick-up truck makes economic sense be it for individuals or organizations. By providing this moratorium, customers can fortify their earnings by putting their brand new Isuzu D-MAX pick-up trucks to work during the deferment period before needing to worry about loan repayments,” said Mr Suzuki.

Up to 90% margin of financing for 84 months
The campaign, in collaboration with Public Bank Berhad, covers almost every model in the Isuzu D-MAX range. Customers can obtain up to 90% financing margin for a maximum tenure of 84 months and the minimum loan amount to qualify for this campaign is RM20,000.00 (terms and conditions apply).

There’s a wide range of variants in the locally-assembled D-Max range to meet different requirements and budgets. Having been in the market for 15 years, the D-MAX has developed an impressive reputation as one of the toughest and most frugal pick-up trucks in Malaysia. These qualities have been proven in gruelling events such as the annual Borneo Safari off-road expedition as well as long-distance economy challenges driving from Bangkok to Singapore using just one tank of fuel.

Small engine displacement, big on output
The latest D-MAX comes with the advanced 1.9-litre Blue Power engine, the smallest engine capacity in the market thereby enjoying the cheapest roadtax in its segment. Even though it has a small capacity, its performance and fuel efficiency are better than the 2.5-litre engine used previously.

Recently, a D-MAX with the engine crossed four of the highest peaks in Peninsular Malaysia carrying a tonne of load, covering a distance of 1,145 kms. From its starting point at the assembly plant in Pekan, Pahang, it reached its destination with fuel to spare in the tank.

More information on the D-MAX and the Isuzu Deferred Instalment campaign can be found at www.isuzu.net.my/pickup.