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Compact Honda WR-V Makes Global Debut In Indonesia

A year ago, Honda displayed the SUV RS Concept as a preview of a new compact SUV model to come. It was clear that the carmaker had seen the growth of the compact SUV segment with the entry of models like the Toyota Raize/Daihatsu Rocky and in Malaysia, the Perodua equivalent known as the Ativa. It wanted a slice of that market and has developed its first small SUV for the ASEAN market.

The model, known as the WR-V, has now made its global debut in Jakarta, Indonesia, which will also be the production hub. Measuring 4060 mm in overall length and 1780 mm in width, with a wheelbase of 2485 mm, the WR-V is positioned below the HR-V. It is shorter than the BR-V but has slightly more width to make up.

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Togg Completes Pre-Production Units of Turkiye’s First National Car, To Go On Sale in 2023

Turkiye (formerly spelt as Turkey) will soon have its first car developed and built by a domestic company as pre-production units have been completed this week at a new factory in Gemlik, 128 kms south of Istanbul. They are products of Togg or Turkiye’nin Otomobili Girisim Grubu (Turkish Automobile Joint Venture Group) which is a consortium of 5 companies for the automotive project.

Togg aims to serve as the backbone of the Turkish mobility ecosystem with 100% Turkish intellectual and industrial property. It is Europe’s youngest electric manufacturer with the aim of producing a million vehicles in 5 different segments by the end of this decade.

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Details Of Lotus Eletre e-SUV Released, Pricing To Start from RM487,000

In March last year, Lotus unveiled its Eletre Hyper-SUV to the world, providing a preview of its future in the electrified era that would see it going from a British sportscar company to a global performance car business and brand. At that time, the Eletre was still under development so details were few – but that didn’t stop thousands of customers around the world from ordering one (or more).

Today, the company has released details of the car which has pricing ranging from £89,500 to £120,000 (about RM487,000 – RM653,000) in the UK, with three versions available: Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R. There will be a choice of two fully electric powertrains – 450 kW (603 ps) single-speed version with a claimed maximum range of 600 kms, and a 675 kW/905 ps dual-speed system with a maximum range of 490 kms. Torque figures are 710 and 985 Nm, respectively, delivering a 0 – 100 km/h) performance said to be either 4.5 or 2.95 seconds. The 112-kWh battery pack that is installed in both versions has a charging time (10% – 80%) of just 20 minutes using a rapid charger.

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Chery Announces Return To Malaysia, With 5-Model Line-Up To Come

The last time Chery was in Malaysia was some 17 years ago and its experience was not good, nor would those who bought its products have had good experiences either. To be fair, the market conditions then were different, the products were also not as advanced and the brand was handled by a local company. When it left the market, it was not missed although its return has been much anticipated.

However, while Chery has entered neighbouring markets and started its business over the past year, it has been careful with the Malaysian market because it knows that its past image was not good. So it has been hard at work trying to present a better image, which is why you would have seen and read a lot about the brand, what it promises and what products are going to be available – but it did not start up.

Now, after months of preparing the market, Chery is officially back with a preview event today. And this time, it is directly involved in marketing activities with its own company, Chery Malaysia, and is therefore responsible for its own destiny. Other carmakers have also found it better if they are closely involved and direct the business in the market as they are the brand owners. Customers ultimately benefit as brand owners will always be thinking long-term and be willing to spend to grow the business.

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BMW X7 Range Gets Sportier M Sport Version, Priced From RM728,800

The X7, BMW’s largest SAV model, gets an additional variant in the form of the X7 xDrive40i M Sport. Like the xDrive40i Pure Excellence which has been on sale in Malaysia for over a year, the new variant with M Sport enhancements is also assembled locally at the Inokom complex in Kedah.

Priced at RM728,800 (without insurance), the X7 xDrive40i M Sport – as would be expected when ‘M is added – is a more performance-oriented version. The M Aerodynamics package which adds sportiness with a slightly rugged image for the imposing model. Certain design elements get more visual emphasis and presumably, aerodynamics are improved in some way.

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Mitsubishi XFC Concept – The ASX Successor?

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has a new compact SUV coming in the near future and the XFC Concept it will be displaying at the Vietnam Motor Show next week gives an idea of what it will look like. Although Mitsubishi Motors says it is ‘not part of the current ASEAN line-up’, it is almost certainly the long-awaited successor to the ASX which was around a rather long time.

The production model, which will be based on the XFC Concept, has been developed with the ASEAN market as its primary market but like other models, it will also be considered for sale beyond the region after it is launched in 2023.

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Iconic Renault 4L Revived As 4EVER Trophy Showcar To Preview Future SUV

Like the Renault 5, the Renault 4L also has significant places in the French carmaker’s history. Though from another era, it is an icon today with over 8 million units sold in more than 100 countries. Production was discontinued 30 years ago but the 4L has never left the limelight, crossing generational and social gaps for the past 60 years.

Unpretentious It is one of the original young-timer vintage cars and the past 25 years have seen the 4L Trophy prove time and again its worth as a versatile car built to last. This explains why it is still a crowd pleaser, even with the younger generations.

Renault has plans to launch a modern successor to the 4L and to show the ideas it has for the model which will be a B-segment SUV, it is presenting the 4EVER Trophy showcar at the Paris Motorshow this week. Predictably, the vehicle will have a battery electric powertrain, showing how Renault taps its illustrious past while moving into a new era.

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2023 Jeep Avenger To Be Brand’s First Fully Electric Model

Like other long established carmakers, Jeep started its electrification journey with hybrid powertrains with the intention of offering battery electric vehicles (BEVs) during this decade. It’s now moving into that phase with the unveiling of the Avenger, the brand’s first-ever BEV, at the Paris Motorshow this week.

To be manufactured in Poland, the Avenger is ‘right-sized’ for markets outside North America with its compact dimensions and will spearhead Jeep’s coming BEV range in Europe, in particular. “It offers Jeep brand capability that is right-sized for the European market and at the Paris Motor Show, we are showcasing why it is a great all-electric Jeep brand alternative to current players in the B-SUV segment,” said Christian Meunier, Jeep brand CEO.

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Polestar Finally Adds A SUV To Its Range, To Be Built In America From 2024

Eventually, every carmaker adds a SUV to their range, a trend which started in the 1990s and reached the pinnacle of the car market in 2018 when even Rolls-Royce introduced a SUV it calls the Cullinan. Now Polestar, the company owned by Volvo (which is owned by the Geely Group), has finally come out with its SUV, the Polestar 3.

As Polestar produces only battery electric vehicles, the Polestar 3 is therefore powered only by electricity, no combustion engine or even hybrid option. And like other carmakers who make their SUVs in the USA because of the huge market for such vehicles, Polestar is also going to make its SUV there although production will be done in China during the first year and shift to America in 2024. Its other models are presently made in China and Sweden.

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2023 Lexus UX 300e Goes Further With 34% More Capacity In New Battery Pack

The electrification journey for Lexus began in 2005 with the RX400h, the world’s first hybrid SUV, and since then the brand has continued to add more electrified models to its range. The latest model, introduced today in Japan, is the updated UX 300e which was the first Lexus production BEV (battery electric vehicle) model.

For this latest version of the company crossover SUV, the main improvement is in the electric powertrain (203 ps/300 Nm) which has a newly developed battery pack with capacity increased from 54.4 kWh to 72.8 kWh. This has extended the claimed range up to 450 kms, an improvement of 40%, with energy consumption reduced to 166.7 Wh/km.

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