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In 1996, it would have been inconceivable that Ford could beat Honda in total sales in Malaysia and double its share of the non-national segment. Yet, last year, that happened and it was clear evidence of how Ford’s marketing strategies and even its image have changed significantly in just four years. The man responsible for that impressive achievement was Richard L. Canny who was Managing Director of Ford Malaysia (formerly known as AMIM Holdings. He was assigned to Malaysia to help Ford regain its market share and be on a solid footing in preparation for AFTA.

In all the time he was here, Mr Canny remained very accessible to the press and was keen to listen to our views, paying particular attention to the negative ones and addressing them. He also made it a point to personally participate in the forums of some websites, AW included, to get feedback directly from owners and understand what problems they faced. He was the only MD of a car company here willing to reach out to customers in such a manner.

Though very busy preparing for his new assignment as President of Ford Argentina, Mr Canny very kindly set aside some time to be interviewed by AW’s Chips Yap. The following are excerpts from the interview:

What were the challenges you faced on arrival in Malaysia and which needed ‘fixing’?
When I came to Malaysia in March 1997, there were a number of areas I had to quickly review and improve upon. Naturally, one of the first things I did was to find out why our market share had declined during the early 1990s.

It was clear that the products were fairly dated and although the pricing then was okay, there seemed to be inconsistencies. So overhauling and refreshing the range was important but that needed a while to achieve. In the meantime, we needed to get more promotions and increase advertising to improve Ford’s image.

The retail network was not in a good condition then and that needed addressing, along with getting better standards of customer care and after-sales services.

Why had Ford’s market share declined?
The issues I mentioned were the main reasons for the decline in market share but it was also important to understand why they were allowed to occur. It’s fair to say that Malaysia did not get a lot of attention from Ford then and it’s partly because there was the National Car program, so the market and volumes for Ford were not really big. There was also the equity Ford held in the joint-venture then, which was fairly small.

The business model for Malaysia today differs from 5 years ago. Can you explain why there was this change?
The distributor-dealer model has been a typical model for smaller markets but each market has its own unique characteristics and not all may be best served by Ford’s traditional business model of having a distributor-dealer arrangement.

If you look at Malaysia and the long-term opportunities and the need to actively manage the product planning side of the business – what products are built, the way they’re marketed, the assembly side and that it is done efficiently – then it is much more appropriate for Ford to have a more active role. So we decided that we should become more involved in managing the product, the brand, the retail network, the manufacturing side… in other words, a more ‘hands-on’ approach. Of course, we also have a joint-venture partner – Sime Darby – who participates with us as well. [Last year, Ford raised its equity to 49% in the joint-venture company called ‘AMIM Holdings’ Sdn Bhd, and it was renamed ‘Ford Malaysia Sdn Bhd’]

Anywhere that we have local assembly makes our product planning decisions and technical support from Ford more intense; obviously Malaysia is such a case. As we move towards regionalisation of the business under AFTA, the complementation among the countries requires a more active Ford presence which would not be possible with the distributor-dealer set-up.

Of course, as I said earlier, it also depends on the country’s potential; the greater that potential and opportunities in the long-term, the more inclined Ford would be to increase its active role and presence. So for Malaysia, as we were wanting to put in more effort, we also wanted a share of the rewards of that greater effort and we therefore felt that increasing our equity to 49% was the way to do that.

I also explained before how, when Ford did not have a significant equity in the joint-venture, it was not ‘noticed’ back in Detroit [where Ford’s World headquarters is located]. But now that we have 49%, it appears in annual regional reviews more prominently and that means that attention will be given to the operations here and out of this interest will come more technology transfer, faster model introductions and access to more resources in the Ford world.

What about the change of name from ‘AMIM Holdings’ to ‘Ford Malaysia’?
The name change reflects the increase of Ford Motor Company’s shareholding – from 30% to 49% – in its joint-venture. We regard this country as an important market for Ford and re-establishing our corporate presence here for the Malaysian consumers will assist us in building our brand and preparing for the implementation of AFTA. You could also say that the name change reflects Ford’s confidence in the excellent prospects of the Malaysian economy as well as the growth potential of the automobile industry in Malaysia.

How dominant is Ford’s management in the Malaysian operation?
It should be clear that the operation here is a joint-venture and we have a board of directors with representatives appointed from Ford and Sime Darby. We operate on a consensus basis with our partner and major decisions need to be discussed by the board and both parties have to be agreeable. Operationally, on a day-to-day basis, it comes down to the actual people involved and at the moment, there are four people from Ford – out of roughly a thousand employees in Ford Malaysia – so it is a very small percentage of employees that are placed in Malaysia by Ford. Of course, we do get a lot of personnel coming and going too but it’s just four people actually sitting here on a full-time basis. These people have the roles of Managing Director,Business Development/Finance, Manufacturing and Human Resources. Additionally, Ford also has some support people within the manufacturing and HR areas.

I don’t think that the number of people assigned to Malaysia by Ford will change significantly over time and it is in fact our vision that the business here in Malaysia should be staffed by Malaysians. That’s why we are exposing our Malaysian staff to Ford’s operations elsewhere so they gain the experience. Steven Tan, who was Ford Malaysia’s Marketing Manager, is now Communications Manager for the ASEAN market and based in Bangkok while Pauline Kee, another Malaysian who joined us not so long ago, is Communications Manager for other markets in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s unfortunate that Ford had not been as technically and actively involved in Malaysia for a long time so the fresh knowledge of Ford’s processes has been lacking but we’re addressing that now.

How useful is having experience in the ‘Ford world’ by working in other Ford units?
I think it is important that we have people who have experience working in Ford so that they have better access to the Ford network. That’s why we want to develop our Malaysian staff and give them the broader overseas experience so they understand how the company does business in other markets.

Would product pricing be better since Ford is actively involved?
There is still the negotiation of prices with the factory and as this is a joint-venture, it is the responsibility of the MD to make sure that the joint-venture achieves a satisfactory return on investment. Obviously to do that, we need to bring models to the market at the right price and have a cost level with an acceptable margin. Of course, there may be times when we make a request for changes in pricing but we try our best to be competitive and make a decent profit and at the same time satisfy customers.

What about including CBU (imported models) products in the line-up
It’s important to have an image product in the line-up and I think the Focus has been doing a great job. I feel that apart from, say, five or six locally assembled models, it would be good to also be able to offer two or three others CBU products. Although Malaysia’s import taxes are among the highest in the world – 140% to 300% – there are some opportunities for us to sell CBUs in specialised segments. However, government policies at this time don’t allow us to adopt such a strategy in a significant way.

What’s the status of the plan to use Malaysia as the ASEAN base for the Escape
We announced that intention last year but with Malaysia’s delay in opening its auto sector under AFTA till 2005, Malaysian-assembled vehicles will not be accepted in other ASEAN markets at the preferential tariffs of 0 – 5%. It wouldn’t be fair to our distributors in the other markets if they have to wait till 2005 and they don’t want to. So we are looking at an alternative site elsewhere in the region [to allow us to enjoy the benefits of AFTA from 2003].

It’s a pity, really, because we would certainly have assembled much higher volumes of the Escape and this would have meant more business for Malaysian suppliers. And Ford would have made a bigger investments and perhaps added another model or two.

In your view, what’s the quality of Ford vehicles assembled in Malaysia?
The quality of vehicles we assemble here have to meet Ford’s global standards and what Malaysian customers get are, I believe, very good and very high quality products. We are active in working with our suppliers to bring them up to global standards in terms of costs and delivery capabilities as soon as possible. It’s well known that the competitiveness of our suppliers here doesn’t match those in Thailand. We also have a small group of engineers here to assist them to meet the QS9000 standard which is an industry-wide standard.

Assembling good vehicles requires a lot of dedication, a lot of loyalty and a well motivated and well trained workforce. Our people in the plant are great and we have excellent labour relations. The workforce is very receptive to change and I see nothing that prevents Malaysians from building global-standard high-quality vehicles.

Looking back after four years, what has been achieved
In early 1997, just before I arrived, Ford’s share in the non-national segment was around 4.6% and today, we’ve gotten up to a little past 10%. The actual volumes have been up and down during that period – you have to remember there was the recession – and we have only just now recovered to pre-recession levels. We were doing about 7,800 units a year in early 1997 and then it dipped with the recession but this year, we hope to get up to 8,000 or 9,000 units.

What is significant, though, is that the share of the non-national makes in the total industry volume has declined from what used to be a third, to a fifth today. As I have mentioned before in our presentations during new model previews, the passenger car segment in particular has shrunk tremendously since 1997 for non-national makes and there is actually no business case to assemble passenger cars as far as Ford is concerned. Bear in mind, though, that Malaysia has the largest passenger car volume in ASEAN but it’s greatly dominated by the national makes these days. We are still assembling the Lynx S and LS to maintain a presence but as you already know, we have discontinued the Telstar and our representative in the 2-litre segment will be the Escape SUV.

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TD Cars (M) Sdn Bhd today passed a milestone with the completion of the 100th unit of the TD2000. The classically styled sportscar, with its resemblance to the MG TD of the 1950s, has been manufactured by Automotive Conversion Engineering Sdn Bhd (ACE) at the Glenmarie Industrial Estate in Selangor since late 1999. ACE is the EON unit which specialises in converting Protons into long-wheelbase limousines.

“By the global standards of the automotive industry, 100 units is just a few hours’ production but that applies to mass-produced models,” said Dato’ Dr Jaafar Ali, Chairman of TD Cars (M) Sdn Bhd, at the special ceremony today.
“The TD2000 is not a mass-produced model and is, in fact, hand-crafted just like the most exclusive limousines. Unlike the mass-produced, high-volume models which all look the same, the TD2000 can be individually customised to what our buyers want. Thus, it takes longer to make each unit and so 100 units after just over a year of operation is not unusual.”

The 100th TD2000, finished in metallic blue, was sold to Rotary Club for its fund-raising activities for charity. The symbolic key to the car was presented to the club president by Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Mohd Saleh bin Sulong, Chairman of EON Bhd. The EON Chairman also presented symbolic keys to another two units of TD2000 to the two winners of the ‘hole-in-one’ prizes at a recent golf tournament.

At the same event, held at the EON complex in Glenmarie estate, TD Cars (M) Sdn Bhd also signed a distributorship agreement with its first overseas importer, Cycle & Carriage Industries (1986) Pte Ltd in Singapore. According to a TD Cars official, the necessary approvals from the Singapore authorities have been obtained and the first 18 units will be shipped to the republic shortly.

“The Singapore market is just the first of many export markets we are looking at,” said Dato Dr Jaafar Ali. “Although we are already in advanced stages of negotiations with many overseas distributors who are keen to sell the TD2000, there are still issues of vehicle standards to be met in some places and this takes a bit of time. It is not that the TD2000 cannot meet the standards because it is already certified to meet the tough Australian Design Rules, but it is more a matter of going through the processes of application.”

He added that the company is planning to sell the TD2000 in many countries which use righthand drive vehicles and hopes to even export them to UK in the future.

According to Datuk Adzmi Abdul Wahab, Managing Director of EON, one unit of the TD2000 will soon be sent to the UK because a British customer who was in Malaysia for the F1 GP had seen it and made the purchase while he was here.

The TD2000 was originally conceived in Australia in the mid-1980s and TD Cars (M) Sdn Bhd, which was formed in 1999, acquired all the rights to the design and transferred manufacture to Malaysia. Although the fibreglass-bodies car uses a Toyota 3S-FE 2.0-litre engine supplied by Toyota Motor Corporation, 53% of its components are sourced locally.

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It seems almost certain that the new Volvo V70XC (XC: Cross-Country) will be officially launched soon, perhaps even this month. Some units have been seen in the vicinity of the Federal Auto showroom near MegaMall lately and it has also been reported in the AW Forum (Venue Volvo) that a fleet of V70XCs was seen with police escorts. There’s also been a promotional event at KLCC recently with the V70XC as a ‘star’.

The V70XC is not unknown to Malaysians as the Volvo stand at the KL International Motorshow last year had one unit on display. In the middle of last year, a Swede also drove it through Malaysia on his journey around the world.

Being a ‘V’ model, it is a stationwagon and bears an evolutionary look to the previous V70. The highlight of the new model is a 4-wheel drive system said to superior in performance; unlike most variable 4WD drivetrains which stop at a 50:50 split between axles, Volvo’s all-wheel drive system can deliver 100% power to the rear wheels. The V70XC also has a traction control system so it should prove quite a capable off-roader.

At this time, there are two engines – a 2.3-litre petrol unit with a light-pressure turbo and a turbodiesel. We think that Volvo Car Malaysia will concentrate only on the petrol engine because whatever impressive qualities the turbodiesel may have, Malaysian buyers still have a prejudice against these oil-burners.

AUTOWORLD.COM.MY’s Chips Yap had a brief drive in the V70XC last year while visiting Volvo’s parent company, Ford, in Detroit and found the car very impressive. Although its ride height is higher than for normal cars – to allow it to travel over rough terrain – the handling remained very stable. On-road performance was good with the petrol engine and changes were brisk and smooth with Volvo’s Geartronic system.

It’s hard to categorise this new Volvo. It certainly is not a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) like the Land Rover Discovery but to regard it as a mere stationwagon would also not be appropriate. It is one of those “cross-over vehicles” which are appearing in greater numbers these days, combining good on-road performance with moderate off-road capabilities for those who want to go camping or do other ‘lifestyle’ activities.

Anyway, we look forward to checking out the V70XC real soon so drop by regularly for the news.

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ENGINE
Type: 4 cylinders (ZMD)
Location: Front, transversely mounted
Displacement: 1597 cc
Bore x stroke: 78 x 83.6 mm
Valvetrain: DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
Compression ratio: 9.0:1
Fuel delivery system: Sequential multipoint EFI
Max power: 81.3 kW/109 ps @ 5500 rpm
Max torque: 145 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Weight/power ratio: 13.2 kgs/kW
Power output/litre: 50.9 kW

DRIVETRAIN
Driving wheels: Front
Gearbox: 5-speed manual (XL), 4-speed automatic (LS)

BODY & CHASSIS
Construction: Monocoque
Bodystyle: 3-box, 4-door sedan
Front suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Independent with twin-link location, anti-roll bar
Steering system: Rack and pinion, power-assisted
Standard tyre size: 195/55 R15
Wheels : 6Jx15, alloy
Front brakes: Vented discs (with ABS on LS)
Rear brakes: Drums

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
Overall length: 4420 mm
Overall width: 1695 mm
Overall height: 1420 mm
Wheelbase: 2610 mm
Front track: 1470 mm
Rear track: 1470 mm
Kerb weight: ~1070 kgs
Fuel tank capacity: 55 litres
Turning radius: 5.2 metres

Significant standard equipment:
Driver’s airbag
In-dash single CD-player audio system
Leather upholstery (LS only)
Immobiliser system
Electrically-operated boot release
Projector headlamps

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As predicted in our ‘scoop’ on May 2nd, Ford Malaysia is launching the new Lynx LS sedan this month. The company today announced that the official launch would be on May 12th but as we already noted, the cars are already in Ford Concessionaires showrooms by now.

The Lynx LS is not exactly a ‘surprise’ since visitors to the KL International Motorshow last year saw the prototype. At that time, Ford Malaysia said it would introduce the car in March this year but it’s now May and the delay is probably because the plant is busy rolling out so many new models. Since the motorshow in November, Ford Malaysia has introduced the Spectron, Lynx S and also the new Trader. And with demand pretty good, it’s been hard-pressed to get enough units of everything out!

Speaking at the press preview in KL today, T.H. Chong, Ford Malaysia’s marketing manager said that although the 1.6-litre non-national passenger car segment has shrunk substantially since 1997 and by right, it makes no business sense to assemble such small volumes any longer, Ford wants to maintain a presence in the most popular segment in Malaysia.

For this reason, it continues to assemble two versions of the Lynx – the S (for Sportswagon) and the LS sedan. While the Lynx S which was introduced last year is the ‘stretched hatchback’ bodystyle common to the Lynx models sold elsewhere, the Lynx LS is unique in styling. It is not the same as the Lynx (or Laser) sedan sold in Singapore and Hongkong and is a more upmarket variant, albeit sitting on the same platform. By the way, the Laser name is history and Ford Malaysia prefers to call the car ‘Lynx’ these days.

From what we learnt, the Lynx LS is an evolutionary development of a Ford model sold in Taiwan and is presently only being assembled in Malaysia. It is likely that Ford Malaysia chose to develop a more upmarket version because it knows Malaysian buyers are a sophisticated lot and the standard Lynx sedan was just to common in looks.

The upmarket appearance is evident in the chrome grille and the eye-catching projector headlamps with crystal-like reflectors. The rear end is also distinctive with large red light clusters through which can be seen the lighting units, and the chrome surround for the numberplate (with extra-large lights).

The Lynx LS is a large car – larger than the present Corolla, Civic and Sentra and comparable to the Proton Waja which is basically a 1.8-litre class model. So it’s pretty big for a 1.6-litre sedan and in Asia, size is something that motorists like a lot. It’s impressive how the stylists have managed to take the same Lynx platform as the Lynx S and restyled it to have much more presence.

Under the bonnet is the same engine as the Lynx S, a 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valver with sequential multipoint EFI. The long-stroke engine delivers 109 ps of power at 5500 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm on a compression ratio of 9.0:1.

Only a 4-speed electronic automatic transmission is available for the Lynx LS but those who insist on a manual transmission can still get it in the less luxuriously-equipped XL version. The automatic transmission, like the one in the Lynx S, is a clever one with Direct Electronic Shift Control (DESC) which makes shifts smoother. It also has slope control to minimise the condition where the transmission alternates between gears too often when going uphill. On downhill stretches, the transmission does not always go into the highest gear so there is better engine braking, reducing the need to use the brakes a lot.

The 4-wheel independent suspension layout has a familiar arrangement and Ford seems to have maintained it for a long time. The front wheels have MacPherson struts while the rear ones have twin trapezoidal links with a stabilizer bar. However, while the appearance may seem unchanged, there has been much refinement over the years and the one under the Lynx LS is clearly improved, if the experience with the Lynx S is anything to go by. Apart from optimised tuning, there is one significant tweak which changes the feel of the car. This is the positioning of the front roll axis in relation to the rear one. The front roll axis is lower than the rear roll axis and what this does is to give the driver a greater sense of vehicle stability and a sportier feel at the steering wheel. For quicker response, the ratio of the steering gear has been reduced from 17:1 to 15:1. Power assistance is, of course, a standard feature and 55-series tyres are fitted.

Safety is a big thing at Ford and any model it produces has to pass tough in-house standards. Computer-aided design work on the Lynx LS led to the adoption of what is known as a ‘Triple H body concept’ which gives superior strength by integrating structural elements in the roof, chassis and body sides. And if that’s not enough, there are also beams installed in the doors to reduce intrusion during a side impact. In both the Lynx LS and XL, an airbag for the driver is standard but the Lynx LS also gets ABS to enhance braking.

Every effort has gone into providing a luxurious ambience in this latest Ford and the Lynx LS has standard leather upholstery (Lynx XL buyers get fabric upholstery). The leather used looks a bit on the stiff side but adds class nevertheless along with the chrome accents on the door trim. The only thing that is ‘glaring’ to the eyes is the exposure of the bolts fastening the front seatbelts at the lower anchorage points. We thought covers might be missing but the exposed bolts were seen in all the units on display and certainly were not in keeping with the classiness of the car.

The level of equipment in the spacious cabin is very high with many convenience features as well. Air-conditioning, central locking, power windows (with an anti-trap feature on the driver’s window) and an audio system with a single CD player are all fitted as standard.

The instrumentation is comprehensive and highly legible. As with most new cars, the odometer and tripmeter are now electronically displayed on a small LCD panel. Two tripmeters are provided which can come in handy for those who have to make mileage claims. For those who are forgetful, there are alarms that sound if you forget to switch off the lights or leave the key in the car.

Talking of keys, the Lynx LS gets a pretty good security system with integrated remote operation of the central locking for keyless entry. It also has an immobiliser system that makes it much, much more difficult to steal the car as well.

The boot is generously sized which is hardly surprising given the 4420 mm overall length of the car. As with many other sedans in this class, there is the option of extending the boot floor by folding down the rear backrests. Some owners may find not like the fact that the bootlid cannot be opened by operating a lever outside and the only way to open it is to use a key or push the button on the dashboard to the right of the steering column. The pushbutton is convenient but for many people (including us!), there is likely to be automatic reaching for the lever on the floor because most other cars have their boot release there! As a result, new owners may find themselves popping open the fuel cap lid instead before they get used to the location of the button.

Old Henry Ford, back in the Model T days, declared that ‘customers could have their car in any colour as long as it is black’. In those days, colour wasn’t an issue with buyers but today, offering a selection is mandatory. The Lynx LS/XL can be ordered in Sunset Red, Steel Silver, Storm Grey, Champagne or Sea Green, and for a bit more exclusivity, there is also a mean Panther Black shade only for the Lynx LS.

Ford Malaysia’s marketing strategy for the Lynx LS does not just target existing Ford owners. It is also aiming to gain some ‘conquest sales’ by attracting Proton owners who are ready to upgrade – the Ford image in general and the Lynx LS, in particular, can now be regarded as much higher than before – and woo those who are looking at the Nissan Sentra. This has meant that the pricing must be below RM100,000. In Peninsula Malaysia, on-the-road prices (without insurance) are RM99,200 for the Lynx LS and RM88,100 for the Lynx XL. Pretty attractive pricing considering the package offered. It’s also interesting that Ford Malaysia has decided to offer a low-priced version with manual transmission to provide an affordable model.

The Specifications


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Owners of Audi 100/A6 saloons from 1992 through 1997 are invited by Auto Dunia to bring in their cars for a free AudiCare Safety Inspection & Evaluation. The campaign is available at the company’s Petaling Jaya and Batu Caves workshops in Selangor from 20th – 26th May 2001.

During this campaign, the cars will be given a 25-point Test Inspection by factory-trained technical staff. At the same time, as an extra service, Auto Dunia will evaluate the cars and inform their owners of the market value.

“We want to offer this free service to the owners of Audi cars so that we can advise them on vehicle maintenance and road-worthiness. We would like to see all Audi owners drive with total peace of mind, especially before they go on vacation during the coming school holidays,” said Auto Dunia’s Executive Director Tan Chee Keong.

In conjunction with this campaign, selected Audi parts will also be offered at a special price. The items are brake fluid and automatic transmission fluid which will be available with a 45% discount while door weatherstrips will be at a special package price.

While waiting for their vehicles to complete the test inspection and evaluation, Audi owners may also take the opportunity to view and test drive the Audi A4 1.8T and the latest Audi A6 2.4. Furthermore, all Audi owners are invited to sign up for a free Audience membership card which entitles them to a free newsletter, selected free lifestyle publications, discounts on parts and service and invitations to exclusive events and activities.

For more information on the Audi Care Safety Inspection & Evaluation Campaign, call Pn Dzuraidah/Ms Selvi at the PJ workshop (Tel: 7781 5511 ext 321/322/323/324) or Ms Puspa at the Batu Caves workshop (Tel: 6185 4700).

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Recognising that Malaysia’s ambassadors and staff of embassies overseas can help promote the National Car, Proton invited a group of officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to tour the factory in Shah Alam as well as receive a briefing today. The group spent a couple of hours seeing the manufacture of the Waja as well as listened to presentations from various Proton executives.

It was clear that what they saw was impressive, judging by the comments. Said one officer: “I did not realise Proton had advanced so much and this was like a trip through a ‘time tunnel’! It was a highly enlightening visit and we will certainly be putting in our best efforts to promote Proton products abroad.”

Responding to the enthusiastic comments, Proton CEO Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel said that the national car manufacturer was keen to get the assistance of Malaysia’s overseas missions to promote its cars, especially the Waja. He said that discussions would be initiated with Wisma Putra in due course on the matter.

“An important point about showing our ambassadors and foreign affairs officers what we do is to have them understand just how advanced Proton is. There is a misconception in other countries that Malaysia is not so technologically advanced but we actually are quite advanced and as you can see, Proton can do its own R&D and develop its own products,” he added.

He did, however, admit that right now, Proton’s present product line-up is not competitive in technology and price in many markets. “That is why we are quickly developing new models that will be globally competitive and we do have many projects in the pipeline,” said Tengku Mahaleel.

Tengku Mahaleel was also told by one of the guests about a heart-warming encounter in Saudi Arabia with a Proton owner who explained that although a Proton cost more than an equivalent Korean product, the owner bought it because he felt it was the product of a Muslim country and made by fellow Muslims. Upon hearing this, the Proton CEO said that there were already some features which the company could introduce to cater specifically for Muslim customers such as displays which provided reminders of prayer times.

Replying to a question from AUTOWORLD.COM.MY concerning the issue of the Waja’s safety and the absence of airbags which had been raised by Malaysian buyers, Tengku Mahaleel explained that the car’s structure itself was inherently strong, the strongest body ever made by Proton. It was proven to exceed the European NCAP crash test for 2003 standards so every buyer was getting that high level of occupant protection. As for other markets getting additional safety features such as airbags, he clarified that customers there do pay for such extras which are in demand. Thus, the cars have a different and higher price so it is not that buyers in other countries get more than Malaysian buyers. He also clarified that not every item mentioned was standard for export models as some were also options available at extra cost. Nevertheless, he gave assurance that in the second phase of the Waja program, additional safety features would appear in the models sold locally.

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Thinking of buying a BMW 528i? Now’s a pretty good time because Auto Bavaria is offering a special facelift package for free. The package, available for a limited period, consists of new ‘brilliant-look’ headlights and rear lights, a modified grille and a carphone with service from Maxis.

According to Tunku Badlishah Tunku Annuar, GM (Sales & Marketing) of Auto Bavaria, the facelift kit gives the 5-Series a more striking and aesthetically-pleasing appearance.

“The signature BMW ‘kidney grille’ with its wider chrome surround is given even greater emphasis and features a smart combination of chrome borders and pinstripe slats. Each of the headlights in the ‘brilliant look’ is surrounded by a bright conductor ring. This accentuates the characteristic look of BMW’s dual headlights,” he explained.

The upgraded 528i, priced at RM368,170.67 (without insurance, West Malaysian price) can be viewed and test-drives can be arranged at Auto Bavaria branches nationwide.

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It is clear that Ford Malaysia will very shortly be launching the Ford Lynx LS, the sedan version of the latest Lynx generation. On a visit to the PJ Industrial Park along Jalan Kemajuan, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, our AW staff were surprised to see a Ford Lynx LS sitting in the Ford Concessionaires showroom. Sensing a ‘scoop’ of sorts, they went in and asked about it and were told that the model was delivered just a few days ago and they are authorised to start selling it. No catalogue was available but the salesman was able to give a confirmed price of RM101,017.73 (with insurance) for a non-metallic version and RM101,951.23 for a metallic finish. Only automatic transmission (electronic 4-speed) is available.

The Lynx LS differs from the latest Lynx sedan sold in Singapore and other countries and has been specially developed for Malaysia, according to Ford Malaysia MD Richard Canny who introduced the prototype at last year’s KL International Motorshow. It is a more luxurious upmarket version with distinctive styling and upgraded interior trim.

Not many details were available from the salesman but it is known that the engine is the same as the Lynx LS, ie a 1.6-litre DOHC EFI 4-cylinder 16-valve unit. The salesman remarked that when they drove it, the engine felt exceptionally responsive.

Ford Malaysia staff could not be contacted to get further details of the new product but it is very likely that it will be officially launched very soon since it is in the showrooms. Also in most Ford showrooms is the Ford Escape SUV which is being shown 4 months prior to official launch (production only starts in July) and test-drives are also available. The expected price of the new 2-litre 4WD SUV is around RM140,000 (not sure if that figure includes insurance). According to the salesman, the units in the showroom were specially imported so customers can have a feel of the vehicle earlier but the locally-assembled units will have identical equipment, including dual front airbags and ABS with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD).

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    Buick is a famous brand in American automobile history but most people outside the USA probably don’t know about it since its products are not exported in any notable numbers. Like many of the brands owned by General Motors, Buick has been generally regarded as conservative so the stylists have put in some effort to show that Buick can also offer something that appeals to the younger generation.

    Their latest concept model is the Bengal, a sleekly sculpted roadster with a convertible top and featuring a high-performance powertrain that includes a 6-speed automatic transmission, state-of-the-art voice-activated controls and a next-generation audio system.

    “The Bengal is a car with sensual elegance and versatility,” said Dave Lyon, the 31-year old Buick brand character chief designer. “We think this car will catch the attention of younger customers.”

    The Bengal owes its beautiful proportions to the powertrain that enables its “wheels forward” architecture, permitting a long dashboard-to-axle ratio. The look is enhanced by 20-inch wheels. “We wanted a design that’s drop-dead gorgeous, and I think we achieved that,” he said. The Bengal’s 2794 mm wheelbase is fully exploited as the wheels are at the extreme corners.

    With the seats folded, the Bengal gives the impression of being in a hot two-seat roadster. However, looks are deceiving – a small third door behind the driver’s door and a retractable tonneau cover reveal storage space for custom golfbags or seating for two additional passengers. Inside, the leather upholstery gives driver and passengers the feel of comfortable club chairs. Also, leather inserts grace the wood steering wheel.

    Exceptional handling is promised by what is claimed to be an innovative powertrain. Its supercharged, 3.4-liter V6 engine, which generates 250 bhp, is transversely-mounted with the 6-speed automatic transmission in front, rather than behind. This new drivetrain creates a shorter front overhang and a more rearward centre of gravity that should give the Bengal great handling on curves.

    ‘Quiet Servant’, first shown on Buick’s LaCrosse and Cielo concepts, features voice- activated controls from Visteon Corporation and a reconfigurable, colour head-up display that shows gauges on demand. This enables the driver to control the car and its systems with voice commands or a 4-position joystick on the steering wheel. As a result, the dashboard is simple and elegant and the driver operates the car with both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

    The driver can issue more than 118 commands to the car, operating the headlights, wipers, heating system, sound system, convertible top, on-board navigation, seat adjustments and cruise control. The Quiet Servant will confirm each choice with a verbal reply in either a female or male voice. One of the main benefits of the Quiet Servant package is to reduce the number of distractions to the driver.

    Freed of the usual gauges and knobs, the entire dashboard can be one large flat-panel speaker for the high-quality audio system fitted. Altogether, there are five of unobtrusive speakers which envelope the interior in audiophile-quality sound.

    In designing the Bengal, Buick is aiming at customers who are young and affluent and have families. They would desire a fun vehicle to complement a more practical vehicle in the garage.

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