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Proton’s flagship model, the Perdana V6, is now available within 3 weeks (depending on the colour availability). Until this month, customers had been told that they would need to wait up to 3 months for the model.

According to EON managing director Datuk Adzmi Abdul Wahab, the Proton plant is increasing production numbers to meet the escalating demand for the car in recent months (in May, EON sold 770 units of the 2.0-litre Perdana V6).

According to data compiled by the Malaysian Automotive Association, the Perdana V6, which has a 24-valve engine, remains the most competitively-priced car in the 2.0-litre class. With prices starting from RM99,498, it is even cheaper than 1.6-litre models of other makes so the increased popularity this year is not surprising.

“All our EON outlets accept trade-ins of used Proton models and offer the best prices,” promised Datuk Adzmi.

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To cater to growing customer demand for accessories for 4WD vehicles, Automotive Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the distributor of Isuzu vehicles, has set up a 4×4 Gallery at its branch in Jalan Ma’arof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

The 4×4 Gallery, which officially opens today, carries accessories for Isuzu vehicles as well as items of interest to off-road enthusiasts. According to Hisamuddin Abdul Wahid, the manager of the branch which is also designated the company’s 4WD Centre in KL,the prices of the accessories offered are about 10% lower than prices charged in other accessory shops.

“These are accessories which we have imported from well known companies like JAOS, TJM and Thule and they are only for Isuzu models like the Rodeo and Trooper,” Encik Hisamuddin told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY.

According to Encik Hisamuddin, the company’s feedback from customers – especially those buying models like the Isuzu Rodeo – showed that there was demand for more options to customise their vehicles. Therefore, as a service to customers, ACM decided to bring in the more popular types of accessories and offer them at special prices.

“We also offer advice on customisation and as we have been selling Isuzu dual-purpose vehicles for two decades, we have a great deal of experience on the subject,” he said. “We can provide advice to customers on what are the practical ways to modify their vehicles and the problems they may face if they want to install some accessories which are not suitable.”

The ACM 4WD Centre in Kuala Lumpur also looks after the 500-strong Isuzu Owners Club which periodically organises activities for its members. Encik Hisamuddin also revealed that the company is considering opening 4WD Centres at its branches in Johor Bahru and Penang in future as interest in off-road vehicles and activities is growing rapidly around the country.

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It costs 15 sen more per litre than all other premium-grade petrols but that extra cost doesn’t seem to have deterred Malaysian motorists from buying the newly-introduced Formula Shell V-Power. In less than a fornight after its launch on May 6th, three out of every ten motorists visiting a Shell station have filled their vehicle with the new petrol.

“Although we were confident that the new petrol would be positively received, the actual response has been overwhelming and much better than we expected,” Rahman Kassim, Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd’s senior manager (fuels and brand) told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY. “From our surveys, three out of every ten visitors to our Shell stations filled their vehicles with Formula Shell V-Power and there are many repeat purchases evident too.”

Encik Rahman said that the demand for the new petrol was greater than anticipated so the ratio of supplies in the stations has been quickly adjusted to meet the extra demand to avoid disappointing motorists.

Emphasising that the introduction of the additional grade – making Shell then only company offering three grades – is to give consumers more choices, he said that it is entirely up to a motorist which fuel he or she prefers.

“During this introductiory phase, we have promoters to introduce the fuel but there is no pressure on motorists to buy. And we also make sure that they understand that it does cost more and tell them why,” he explained. “Those who want the benefits buy the new fuel while those who are satisfied with the performance they presently experience from their vehicle will continue to choose Formula Shell.” The extra 15 sen does not seem to be an issue, he noted.

In any case, even at RM1.25 per litre, the price is still low by world standards. That’s because the government subsidises the cost to keep it within reason and pump prices are regulated. At today’s oil prices, a litre of premium petrol should actually cost around RM1.60 to RM1.70.

Looking ahead, he forecast that when the initial curiosity tapered off, Formula Shell V-Power should account for 30% of sales while Formula Shell would account for the highest volume of 60%. The remaining 10% would be taken up by the regular grade which he said was on the decline.

“Regular grade petrol is losing popularity among motorists and is used more for non-auto applications. It is likely that this grade will be phased out before long and the industry is having discussions with the government on such a move for the near future,” he revealed.

Formula Shell V-Power is available in the Klang Valley area for the time being and will be sold at 250 of the 850 Shell stations nationwide by the end of the year.

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The country’s economy is definitely on an upswing when luxury car sales start to rise. In 1998, that segment of cars (represented by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo) totalled 2,482 units but for 1999, it rose to 3,342 units, an increase of 35%. Volvo, one of the significant makes in this segment, had a share of 19.2% and this year, it has already reached the 20% level in the first quarter.

“We are confident that Volvo can achieve at least 25% of the luxury car segment in Malaysia this year as we can see the country’s economy recovering rapidly and consumers’ confidence is also higher these days,” said Lena Olving, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

In volume terms, she said that the number would “definitely reach 1,500 units this year and the current and coming product programmes would give us an opportunity of easily reaching 3,000 units per year”.

However, it is known that the assembly plant in Shah Alam, Selangor, has not been able to supply cars to customers as speedily as expected and although there were 650 orders to date, the company was only able to deliver 343 units.

The older generation 940/960 models have been phased out for some time and today’s range available locally consists of the S40 and V40 which are assembled locally. Volvo Car Malaysia also takes orders for the imported C70 Coupe (the car used by ‘The Saint’) as well as the S80 flagship. The S80 is to be assembled in Malaysia later this year.

In connection with the expected sales growth, Federal Auto Holdings Bhd (FAHB), the dealer of Volvo cars in Malaysia, plans to invest in sales outlets and after-sales service centres. According to its Cham Heng Lee, its Managing Director, the company plans to spend between RM5 million and RM10 million to build two more new sales outlets in the Klang Valley.

With Ford having acquired Volvo in its group, studies are being conducted worldwide to see how Volvo and Ford organisations can have synergistic relationships to lower operating costs. In Malaysia, discussions are ongoing between FAHB and AMIM Holdings, which distributes Ford vehicles, on the possibility of collaborating on after-sales services. However, there is no likelihood of Volvo and Ford products being in the same showroom since the two brand have distinctly different market positioning.

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Following on from the excitement generated by bringing in the Peugeot 206, MBf-Peugeot Sdn Bhd now offers the sleek Peugeot 406 Coupe. Only limited numbers of the exclusive model, priced at RM259,968 (including insurance), will be imported; according to a MBf-Peugeot source, five orders have already been taken from Malaysian buyers.

Though having the same number as the 406 sedan, the 406 Coupe actually shares no body panels but the platform (floorpan, suspension and engines) is the same. Its bodywork was styled by Pininfarina, the renowned styling studio in Italy which has been responsible for many Peugeot models since 1951. This Peugeot coupe is the first fixed roof two-door model since the 504 Coupe which older Malaysians may recall was sold in the late 1960s.

With the 406 Coupe, it is the first time that Pininfarina has not only been asked to design the exterior and interior but also to build the car. It is made in Pininfarina’s own factory in Italy at a rate of about 70 cars a day.

The version imported to Malaysia has a 2.0-litre 16-valve engine which produces 97.4 kW (135 bhp) at 5500 rpm and 180 Nm of torque at 4200 rpm. Only an automatic transmission is available and it is one of the more advanced types with electronic controls and adaptive programming which provides the optimum shifting characteristics according to driving conditions.

In keeping with its exclusive status, the equipment level is high with automatic climate control, dual front airbags, ABS, high-quality audio system, cruise control and a sophisticated security system.

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Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad (EON) has provided 30 cars to the Penang Sports Council for official use in the Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) VIII 2000 at a ceremony held at the Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang.

The 20 Proton Perdanas and 10 Proton Wiras are to be used as official cars in the annual sporting event which this year is being held in Penang from 25th May to 3rd June.

“Apart from answering the call of the government for corporate giants such as EON to play a vital role in developing new talents in the field of sports, EON has also been involved in the support of major sporting events,
and SUKMA VIII 2000 is an obvious choice for such support to be given to,” said Datuk Adzmi.

EON’s involvement in the development of sports in Malaysia is not new. It has been instrumental in the development of badminton in the country since 1995. The company is also one of the main sponsors for this year’s Thomas/Uber Cup 2000 Championship. In addition, EON has been supporting other sporting events such as the Le Tour de Langkawi since its inception in 1996, the 16th Commonwealth Games 1998 and many others.

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The Malaysian leg of the Peugeot Challenge Cup 2000, an international golf event for amateur golfers, is to be held from June 4th to July 29th, 2000. Announcing this, MBf-Peugeot president Yeow Ewe Hor added that Malaysia is the only country in Asia-Pacific to hold the qualifying round.

“We will send one winner each from the men’s and ladies’ categories to the international finals to be held at Disneyland, Paris, in September 2000,” he said.

The Peugeot Challenge Cup is an annual event that amateur golfers in Malaysia look forward to because of its international standards and the challenge it provides. At least 700 amateur golfers from Malaysia are expected to participate in the event which will be held at six venues.

Sanctioned by the Malaysian Golf Association, the entry fee for this event is RM230 and participants will receive an exclusive Peugeot Challenge Cup carry-all bag, golf towel, and golf t-shirt. Breakfast, lunch, green fee and buggy/turfmate fee are also included.

Speaking on behalf of Automobiles Peugeot, Bernard Lalbin, its General Delegate to Malaysia said: “The Peugeot Challenge Cup is a corporate tradition which was created in 1985. To date, it has attracted more than 50,000 participants from around the world.”

The Peugeot Challenge Cup 2000, the first for this millennium, will be held in 48 French towns and in 19 other countries from March to September. The grand finals will be held at Disneyland Paris in September.

Interested golfers can obtain entry forms for the qualifying round from the participating golf resorts or from the MBf-Peugeot (tel:03-983 3669). Confirmation of participants is on a first-come-first-served basis.

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    Seatbelts to restrain passengers during an accident and save them from more serious injuries due to smashing against the dashboard or even crashing through the windscreen began appearing in the 1960s. Volvo lays claim to having been the first carmaker to encourage its customers to use these safety devices – initially just across the waist – by providing anchorage points initially and then including the seatbelts as standard.

    Over the years, seatbelt mechanisms didn’t change significantly and the only major innovation has been the pyrotechnic pre-tensioner which was developed to enable airbags to work more effectively. By tightening the reel a split second before the airbag fully inflates, the occupant is not flung forward so much that he or she is being propelled forward against an airbag inflating at 200 km/h.

    But in spite of minimal evolution, the seatbelt is still regarded as the primary restraint system and this is always emphasised because the airbags are designated as “Supplementary Restraint Systems” which is what the ‘SRS’ you see on airbag-equipped vehicles stands for.

    Soon, a major advancement in seatbelt design will become available in cars and it’s technology that was originally designed for aircraft use. Known as the ‘SmartBelt’, the system works with existing vehicle airbags. During a significant crash, the system rapidly inflates a bladder that runs the length of the belt from the buckle to the point where it enters the upper part of the seat or pillar.

    The ‘Smartbelt’ is a patented design by BFGoodrich which you may know as a tyre company. But the original BFGoodrich which was a tyremaker actually exited the automotive tyre industry back in 1986 after selling its tyre business to Michelin (which still manufactures and markets tyres with the BFGoodrich label). Today’s BFGoodrich is a leader in aerospace systems and services, performance materials and engineered industrial products

    The company says that its system will be available to the public within two years. In initial applications, ‘SmartBelt’ systems will provide added protection in cars for rear passengers. BFGoodrich expects the product to become a standard feature in cars and even planes, trains and school buses within a few years.

    “The inflatable seatbelt is a giant step forward for passenger safety because it provides airbag-like qualities while deploying away from the wearer and then cradling him or her into the impact,” said Mike Vecchio, Safety Consultant for BFGoodrich.

    The ‘SmartBelt’ actually works in concert with the airbag and can create additional protection for smaller occupants and especially children – which has been a major issue for manufacturers. The ‘SmartBelt’ inflates within the first 10 milliseconds of a crash, and the airbag deploys after 25-30 milliseconds so the wearer becomes “pre-positioned” by the SmartBelt to more safely accept the enormous force of the airbag. Therefore the airbag’s ability to protect is optimized.

    In side-impact crashes too, the ‘SmartBelt’ system is claimed to out-perform airbags and conventional seatbelts. Tests have conclusively shown that its its usage would result in a driver or passenger sustaining considerably less head injury than if they were using traditional airbag/seatbelt combinations. Additionally, the ‘SmartBelt’ is said to offer superior rollover protection, even in convertibles.

    The ‘Smartbelt’ addresses some of the drawbacks of conventional seatbelts which can cause pain and, in some cases, even severe injury. That’s because the force between a body and a seatbelt can be tremendous – up to 55g (the factor which body weight is increased by). The ‘Smartbelt’ is said to provide two benefits to reduce this effect, firstly by the additional cushion for the occupant and secondly, though force distribution over a wider area on the body since the belt’s bladder expands to a full 150 mm width.

    Most likely, this next-generation seatbelt will first appear in vehicles made by North American carmakers and then other manufacturers around the world will slowly adopt them.

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    It’s rare that a manufacturer releases details as well as pictures of a product it is still testing and plans to sell a year later. Usually, extreme care is taken to prevent outsiders (especially spy photographers!) from catching even a glimpse of a new model and if the model must be tested on public roads, it is done at night or is heavily disguised.

    In a departure from its usually secretive attitude where future models are concerned, DaimlerChrysler has sent out pictures of its new compact van to be marketed under the Mercedes-Benz brand and even tells us what it will be called when it goes on sale in late 2001: Vaneo.

    Preliminary details of the van indicate that it is 4.19 metres long, 1.74 metres wide and 1.83 metres high, which makes it shorter than a Nissan Serena but slightly wider. It is said to offer enough room for five adults and two children or two adults and a load of up to three cubic metres. Accesss to the rear is via either one or two sliding doors.

    These few months, Vaneo prototypes have been undergoing cold weather tests in Sweden where the temperature is still – 35 degrees C. The tests have included tuning of electronic systems such as ABS, ASR (acceleration skid control) as well as ESP (Electronic Stability Program) under low-friction conditions – ranging from snow to sheet ice – both on the level and on hills.

    For such tests, special tracks are set up and are prepared every year with snow and ice. Some of these test tracks are on frozen lakes. In addition, the cold start characteristics as well as the heating and ventilation system are also being tested under such extreme conditions.

    Development engineers also test whether engine components and equipment are capable of doing what the customer would expect of them, even in the worst of winters. And some of these components can only be really tested under real extreme conditions.

    In addition to stationary testing such as the measurement of forces under the influence of cold climates, large distances are driven on icy and snowy roads to assess all a vehicle’s components and systems while in motion.

    The future Vaneo compact van is reported to have passed all the tests with flying colours, including handling trials involving extreme lane-change manoeuvres. That last note was added in to emphasise that Mercedes-Benz has ensured that the Vaneo won’t flip over if the driver tries to avoid a moose (an embarassment for the company when a Scandinavian tester simulated the move in an A-Class and it flipped over).

    When you read about the Vaneo being launched next year, remember that you first read about it in AUTOWORLD.COM.MY.

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    When people think of the recreation-oriented 4WD’s beginnings, they often think that the Mitsubishi Pajero was the one that started the trend. But it was actually the Isuzu Trooper that started the trend a couple of years before the Pajero was introduced in 1982. Of course, this excludes the Range Rover which, by virtue of being exclusive, was in its own class.

    Until the Trooper came on the scene, 4WDs had not been promoted as vehicles for daily urban use. The Land Rovers and Land Cruisers had all been marketed as workhorses and has comfort and style as low priorities. With the Trooper, businessmen discovered that they could use the vehicle for both work and pleasure, driving to construction sites in the day and going for dinner with the family at night.

    Like most of the big 4WDs, generation changes are slower than for passenger cars. But because of the long model life, each new generation is typically more advanced than its predecessor in all respects and addresses the expectations of a new generation of customers as well.

    The Trooper is now in its third generation and to keep its looks fresh, ACM, the distributor since the early 1980s, has introduced an updated model which includes a new engine. This generation had seen the inclusion of a more upmarket version known as the Citation which had a V6 engine and in place of the Citation, there is now the Bighorn.

    Cosmetic changes are evident in the grille which is bolder while the headlamps are now equipped with wipers. Spotlights are also incorporated in the bumpers. Incidentally, the fastest way to determine if it’s a new Trooper or a new Bighorn is to look at the finish: the new Bighorn has a two-tone colour scheme.

    The spacious interior is luxuriously equipped with leather upholstery as standard in the Bighorn (a RM7,000 option for the Trooper). Additional luxury touches include wood trim, illuminated vanity mirror, and a height- adjustable driver’s seat. The easily-read instrument panel now features a LCD display for the odometer and tripmeter. Cruise control is a standard feature which will be most appreciated on long journeys.

    One of the nice things about loading cargo into the Trooper/Bighorn is the split rear door, something which is not found on the newer 4WDs. For small items like groceries, you can just open the narrower door on the right side; if you have large items to put in, then the larger panel can also be swung open.

    Under the bonnet is a more powerful version of the all-aluminium 3.2-litre petrol V6 which has been used for some time. Internal improvements to the engine, now sporting a DOHC 24-valve cylinder head, have boosted power by 16% to 150 kW (205 ps) at a higher 5400 rpm and raised torque to 284 Nm at a lower 3000 rpm. The engine is ‘state of the art’ with self-adjusting tappets, direct ignitionand fully computerised engine management which looks after the multiport fuel injection system as well as other operations.

    The Trooper comes with only a 5-speed manual transmission while the Bighorn comes only with an electronic 4-speed automatic transmission. Both gearboxes are mated to a transfer case which has two ranges of gear ratios for extended off-road capabilities.

    New V6 3.2-litre engine has DOHC 24-valve cylinder head. Power output has been increased by 16%.

    Being a full-sized 4WD, the new Trooper/Bighorn drivetrain is the part-time type where you have to use a lever to engage 4WD when you want it. However, there is no need to manually lock the front hubs as that happens
    automatically. To provide greater stability in really slippery conditions, the rear axle is fitted with a limited-slip differential (LSD) which re-distributes torque to the opposite wheel if one side spins too much.

    The sturdy ladder frame chassis with seven crossmembers and box-section frame rails sits on independent front suspension (using double wishbones and torsion bar springs) and a simple but durable 4-link coil spring rear suspension.

    Safety is not overlooked in this 4WD and the features are comparable to a high-end sedan. It has disc brakes front and rear and also standard ABS. The ABS computer is specially programmed to operate more effectively in off-road conditions where the wheels bounce about much more and surfaces can be sandy and soft.

    The roll-over issue which was a great controversy in the US market in the mid-1990s was strongly challenged by Isuzu and this year, a court ruled that the publication which had reported that the Trooper (sold in the US) could easily tip over during sudden cornering had conducted its tests in an unrealistic manner. In reality, there were no significant statistics to show that the Trooper was unstable nor were there any related deaths.

    Basically, a 4WD is a tall vehicle and obviously you do not drive it like a Subaru WRX. It could tip over if you try going round a sharp corner very fast but if it does, that is not a design fault but your own lack of sensibility.

    Prices for the new Isuzus, both assembled at the AMM plant in Pekan, Pahang, have gone past the RM200,000 mark which pitches them against the latest Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. The new Trooper is RM204,292 while the new Bighorn is RM229,606.

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