Floods do not discriminate, affecting lives in every community and damaging motor vehicles of every kind and brand that are unlucky to be parked where they are submerged as the waters rise. A big bill awaits owners of the vehicles when they finally get them to service centres as it is not a matter of just cleaning the mud and dirt out, but many parts will still have to be replaced.
The bill could come to tens of thousands of ringgit and with other stresses caused from being impacted by the floods, every little bit of help will be meaningful. For those who own Porsches, Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) is offering a helping hand.
The company will assist in having the vehicles towed at no charge to to the nearest Porsche Centre in Malaysia. Porsche Roadside Assistance, which includes towing services, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide towing and roadside assistance.
Once at the service centre, a thorough and detailed assessment will be done along with personalised consultation with certified specialists to evaluate the damages and repairs required and the cost involved. This cost will be lower than usual as SDAP is offering a 30% discount on parts and labour for flood-affected vehicles brought to the authorised service centres up till January 31, 2022. Only Porsche Genuine Parts are used in all repairs which include a 2-year parts warranty.
“We are committed to our customers by offering a thorough and detailed check of their vehicle as well as discounts on parts and labour costs to ensure all Porsche cars run at optimal performance. With this gesture, we hope to provide some consolation during these trying times,” said Christopher Hunter, CEO of Sime Darby Auto Performance.
More information on the flood relief support initiative and scheduling of service appointments can be obtained by contacting the following Porsche Centres:
Making the purchase and ownership of cars as convenient as possible is important to retain customers so they continue with the brand the next time they replace or get an additional car. For many companies, providing convenience has been through making retail outlets 3S – offering sales, service and spare parts. In this way, they are a one-stop centre for all the customer’s needs, from the time of purchase through owning the vehicle.
Sime Darby Motors has gone further by not only having 3S outlets but also clustering them at one site so that customers can choose from a wider range of models from different brands without having to go to different locations. The site is the new Sime Darby Motors City located in the township of Ara Damansara within the Klang Valley, near Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (formerly Subang International Airport) which is claimed to be the largest automotive complex in Southeast Asia.
It is the realisation of an idea which has been considered for at least the past 30 years, perhaps gaining more relevance as the number of brands increased from the early ones such as Ford and BMW to now include Porsche, Hyundai, Jaguar, MINI, Motorrad (BMW motorcycles), Land Rover and Volvo. Though operational for over a year now, the official opening of Sime Darby Motors City has taken place only today due to COVID-19 pandemic and Movement Control Orders which restricted public events.
6 showrooms plus pre-owned business unit
The complex of 6 flagship showrooms and service centres is built on 8.6 acres of Sime Darby land adjacent to the highway to the airport. The built-up area is considerable – 1.3 million square feet – with up to 8 levels, some of which are for the service centres. It has a Green Building Index (GBI) certified facility built with sustainability in mind and incorporates technologies to cultivate a paperless organisational culture.
There is also an indoor facility with space for almost 100 vehicles that are managed by the Sime Darby Auto Selection unit dealing with pre-owned vehicles. Sime Darby Motors City also has mobility collaborations with SOCAR (a car-sharing network) and myTukar (an online used car trading platform).
Auto Bavaria has this special area for handover of new vehicles to customers.
First automotive facility with IoT
Each showroom has its own identity in keeping with the brand image, and aftersales services are provided with the highest standards, both in terms of equipment and personnel. Sime Darby Motors City is Malaysia’s first automotive facility that deploys Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, enabling improved service capacity, and supporting the company’s growth by accelerating efficiencies to deliver world-class services to its customers.
“As one of the key players in the automotive industry, Sime Darby Motors has always been committed to pursuing excellence as we strive to provide world-class services to our customers. The launch of Sime Darby Motors City is a testament to this steadfast commitment,” said Andrew Basham, Managing Director of Sime Darby Motors.
At the heart of the facility’s digital infrastructure is its Vehicle Tracking Management system which utilises a camera-based parking guide and customisable signages to ensure a higher level of guidance, security and convenience for the customer. It also allows for quicker collection of vehicles upon completion of service. Internally, the facility’s digitalised infrastructure communicates the status of each vehicle in real-time, ensuring greater efficiencies are achieved.
IoT-powered Automated Number Plate Recognition cameras have also been installed as part of a contactless self-check-in system, enabling customers’ appointment data to be accessed, upon their arrival. Concurrently, a service advisor will be alerted and automatically assigned to the customer, allowing for a seamless experience. The deployment of these technologies will be rolled out progressively throughout Sime Darby Motors City.
Customers visiting showrooms and service centres can relax and have snacks and drinks or even do work in comfortable surroundings.
RM570 million was spent on building Sime Darby Motors City so it is not a project that may be replicated in other parts of the country. “We have no plans for another similarly sized complex but we could explore other approaches in future,” said Jeffrey Gan, Managing Director, Retail and Distribution for Malaysia, Sime Darby Motors.
Future-ready for EV era
With an eye on the future of the business, Sime Darby Motors City is future-ready as the automotive industry continues to evolve towards EV. It is equipped with specialised EV-certified technicians and designated areas for EV charging, storage and repairs, which are currently available at Auto Bavaria, Auto Hyundai, Auto Performance and Swedish Auto, all of which have brands that offer electrified models.
Sime Darby Auto Performance, which represents the Porsche brand, has installed Malaysia’s first fast Direct Current (DC) high-performance charger, operational since September 2020, within its Porsche Centre. Capable of delivering a maximum of 175 kW, it is able to provide a nearly full charge within 36 minutes, which is at least 8 times faster than the fastest Alternating Current (AC) charger available at 22 kW.
Grand Launch Weekend
This weekend (April 16 – 18) will be a good time to visit Sime Darby Motors City as there will be a ‘Grand Launch Weekend’ event with attractive deals at all the showrooms. However, it is recommended that those going there contact the showroom they wish to visit so that an appointment can be made. This is to adhere to the government’s COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures on crowd control and physical distancing.
“Would you like to join us on a week long drive around Peninsular Malaysia? You get to drive the new Cayenne and Panamera Sport Turismo. Aaand you get to hang out with other models like the GT2RS and GT3RS,” said the voice over the phone.
“Of course I would,” was my immediate answer, trying to sound as cool and collected as one possibly could.
Called the Porsche Drive of the Year, the event was organised by the Porsche Club of Malaysia as part of the 70 plus annual events which it organises each year (click here to read the story on the drive).
About 40 Porsches took part in the drive, including some from the Porsche Club of Singapore.
As with most club drives, we met on a Sunday morning at the Porsche Centre in Sungai Best.
It was quite a sight to see Porsches of all sorts, old and new, hardcore performance machines and classic cars as well.
We began the 2200km journey in the new Cayenne – the third generation model of a super successful car. Sleeker, smarter, faster, and generally much better than before, the Cayenne proved to be the perfect partner for such a journey. And for obvious reasons too.
The Cayenne has dual personalities – it can be often sighted on luxury boulevards and in the parking lots of some of the world’s wealthiest people. But on the flip side, it is also often sighted plying muddy roads as they transport timber tycoons to their destinations.
However, you don’t spot a Cayenne on a racetrack very often, but being a Porsche, it is quite capable of holding its own on any track anywhere. Porsche has equipped the Cayenne with all the wizardry needed to move a two tonne giant as quickly as possible with as little drama as possible.
And that same wizardry has been applied to provide you with a beautiful ride as well – soft and plush or rigid and responsive – all at the push of a button. This was perfect for the duration of the ride since we were driving mostly on badly patched trunk roads.
Called the Porsche Active Suspension Management, and judging by the state of our roads these days this technology is almost a must have in today’s cars. And even though it is an option in Porsche vehicles worldwide, it is offered as standard in the Malaysian spec Cayenne as part of the Porsche Premium Package offered on both the Cayenne and the Panamera Sport Turismo.
Handling is of course accurate when you want it, and dull and relaxed when you want it as well. All that the simple push of a button of course. But this is not contributed by the suspension alone, but also because the Cayenne we drove came equipped with the now infamous rear-axle steering system. This makes short work of making tight u-turns, and gives the car a level of handling other SUVs can’t match.
The system was first introduced back in 2016 and is fitted as standard on the GT3 and as an option on all other models. It will set you back by RM9,522, but if accurate handling is your thing, then it will be worth every ringgit.
So the Cayenne proved to the perfect steed for the drive. There were moments where we saw the GT2RS and GT3RS quite literally hopping and skipping over the uneven roads while the Cayenne simply glided over them. Absorbing and transferring every imperfection away from the cabin.
The Cayenne we drove was the base model, and costs RM894,683 with close to RM100,000 worth of options fitted. But the car is already impressive as it is.
The cabin is high-tech with touch activated everything on a piano black finished centre console. The piano black centre panel is something I personally cannot appreciate as I have sweaty palms. So after a day of driving, the controls were ruined by the smudges of my finger prints.
But that is made up for by a luxurious comfortable interior with ventilated seats, a four-zone air-conditioning system that lets each occupant control their own temperature setting, and a super crisp Bose surround sound system. As far as the drive is concerned, I believe the Cayenne was the best car to be in.
Of course, the faster 911s and GT cars were way ahead of us by at least an hour. But those cars were meant to be driven fast and tackle corners as if they were on rails. But we were not doing too bad ourselves.
The Cayenne is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine, which may not seem like much, but it produces 340hp and 450Nm of torque. And even though the Cayenne is heavy, the engine is able to help it accelerate to 100km/h in just 6.2 seconds (5.9 if you opt for the sport chronology package) and maxes out at 245km/h.
This was good to ensure that the Caymans and the Boxsters were always within sight.
Ever since it was introduced in 2002, the Cayenne has been regarded as one of the best, if not the best SUV in the business. This is because of its versatility on and off-road and how it balances that with luxury and performance. And now even the base Cayenne is amazing already.
Next week, we will tell you about the other car we drove, the Panamera Sport Turismo. It too has four-doors though it may not be as practical as the Cayenne, but it definately performs better. We will tell you more next week!
Porsche Premium Package – What is it?
According to Christopher Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of Sime Darby Auto Performance (official dealer and distributor of Porsche cars in Malaysia), it is an initiative to enrich the product substance to elevate a customer’s ownership experience even further. It offers additional comfort and luxury features that include 14-way power seats including memory function for both driver and front passenger, four-zone automatic climate control, automatic dimming mirrors, electrical sun blinds, ambient lighting, and BOSE Surround Sound System.
