Kia has revealed its 2024 EV9 model and it is packed with tons of features including level three autonomy and clever aerodynamics that reduce drag and thus increase range.
Kia’s new three-row electric SUV comes with three, the RWD Long Range model, the Standard RWD model, and the AWD model. All three models are based on Hyundai Group’s E-GMP electric vehicle architecture.
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The Jaguar I-PACE has been on sale since 2018, during which time it has done remarkably well and has been awarded titles like World Car of the Year as well as European Car of the Year, among many others. It has only just gone on sale in Malaysia today and Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia (JLRM) can offer it at under RM500,000, thanks to the government exempting battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from duties.
Priced at RM460,800 (without insurance) for the Black LE and RM498,800 for the HSE, the I-PACE is Jaguar’s first BEV and has been designed and developed almost entirely in the UK. Ralf Speth, the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover when the I-PACE was launched, said that the development team had ‘torn up the rulebook to create the newest member of the PACE family’.
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Following on from the alliance between Ford and Volkswagen which has seen the new Amarok for the German carmaker based on the latest Ranger, Ford has now revealed the first of two new models which will use Volkswagen’s MEB platform for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
The new model, to go on sale later this year for under 45,000 euros (about RM216,000), uses the Explorer nameplate. This name has a long history in Ford’s range and at one time, was the bestselling SUV in the world. Now it is going electric as part of Ford’s reinvention of the Ford brand in Europe. By 2030, Ford aims to have an all-electric portfolio of passenger vehicles.
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Honda Malaysia will launch 3 all-new models as well as one updated model during 2023 with the aim of achieving a total sales volume of 80,000 units. With the Malaysian Automotive Association forecasting a Total Industry Volume of 650,000 units for this year, this would give Honda a 12.3% market share.
The target is similar to that of 2022 but last year, it exceeded the number by 290 units to take a share of 11.1%. The achievement kept Honda in the No.1 position in the non-national passenger car segment (which excludes pick-up trucks and commercial vehicles) for the ninth consecutive year since 2014. During the year, the brand also recorded its highest ever sales in Malaysia with more than 10,500 units delivered nationwide.
Speaking to the media at an event recently, Honda Malaysia President & Chief Operating Officer Sarly Adle Sarkum said that as part of the company’s strategic business direction, it will launch a new model in an entirely new segment during the third quarter of 2023.
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At the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, Kia displayed the Concept EV9 which was expected to be the new flagship SUV of the brand. And with electrification underway, it would be a battery electric vehicle (BEV). 16 months later, here are the first pictures of the production model – Kia’s first 3-row electric flagship SUV – with the official global debut to take place towards the end of the month.
“The Kia EV9 breaks new ground, aiming to redefine standards for design, connectivity, usability and environmental responsibility,” said Karim Habib, Executive Vice-President and Head of the Kia Global Design Centre. “The Kia EV9 offers customers an exceptionally high-quality proposition and a fresh EV perspective in the family SUV sector. This new vehicle typology provides instinctive experiences and excellent comfort for not just the driver, but all occupants, through innovative use of space, technology and design.”
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When one spends over a million ringgit on a car, it can be taken for granted that it will be of the highest quality with the best materials. If it is a sports model, then it would be expected to deliver truly high performance. And where comfort is concerned, that’s a given – with emphasis on the rear accommodation taking precedence over the front (unless it’s a convertible which would usually be driven by the owner).
Bentley’s Azure range, introduced in May last year, goes beyond the realms of just being comfortable. With this range – available for all Bentley models – the wellbeing of the occupants is paramount and not only is there superlative comfort along the way but the occupants can also arrive at their destination in an even better shape, more relaxed than when they left home or office.
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Beaches are nice places to watch the sunset (or sunrise) and enjoy the nice breeze. But enjoying the sights should not be done from a car parked close to the water. A couple who did not realize that the water level can rise when the tide comes in found that their SUV was stuck in the sand as the seawater rose.
The incident was a rare one and the police at Kuala Sedili in Kota Tinggi, Johor shared it on their Facebook page today. The pictures accompanying their post showed the SUV, a Mazda CX-5, stuck in the sand as the water started to rise around it. Fortunately, the couple in the car were able to get help and pull the vehicle away before it was submerged.
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Bermaz Motor has launched the Mazda CX-30, its third locally assembled model after the CX-5 and CX-8. The CX-30 is the final model that was in the plan announced four years ago relating to new investments and local assembly by the company as it moved forward. It was the next step for Mazda Malaysia, the joint venture between Mazda and Bermaz formed in 2012 to oversee local production, distribution and exports to other ASEAN countries.
In 2019, Mazda upgraded the ‘plant within a plant’ at Inokom in Kedah with an investment of RM200 million, which raised production capacity from 30,000 to 50,000 units. Mazda production at Inokom shares some of the facilities but also has a dedicated area (including its own paintshop) for assembly of its own products, hence the ‘plant within a plant’ description.
The roll-out of the CX-30 was actually scheduled a bit earlier but the global COVID-19 pandemic impacted all industries and time-frames had to be revised due to extended periods of lockdown. However, the CBU (completely built-up) version was already being sold since 2020.
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After a 6-year production run in its first generation, the Hyundai Kona starts its second generation today with a global world premiere. The Korean carmaker presents it as an ‘upscaled multiplayer in the B-SUV segment’, with the claim of offering one of the most comprehensive product packages in the segment, including the widest range of powertrains.
As before and like the original IONIQ, the Kona is available with three different types of powertrains – combustion engine one, hybrid and battery electric (BEV). This will allow it to be marketed in more regions around the world, including those where the pace of electrification is slower.
Nevertheless, for this new generation, Hyundai Motor started development as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) first. It signifies the company’s accelerated electrification strategy that aims to bring 11 new Hyundai EVs to market by 2030.
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When BAuto took over the Kia franchise in April 2021 and established subsidiary Dinamikjaya Motors to handle the Korean brand, local assembly was already being planned. Unlike some other new brands where the carmaker may want to wait a while and see how fast their volume grows, Kia Motors had already decided to use Malaysia as a regional production hub and wanted local assembly to commence as soon as possible.
They revealed a 5-year plan which showed the models that would be assembled for the Malaysian market, and the chart showed that the first two models would be the Carnival and Sorento. The Carnival started rolling out of the Inokom plant in Kedah in July last year and now comes the Sorento.
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