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According to sales data published by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the best-selling sports car in the month of March is not of the usual origin of Germany or Italy. The model that pipped such cars as the Porsche 911, Audi TT and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe is the American-made Ford Mustang.

Like how European sports cars are considered exotic imports in the Land of the Free, the Mustang shares the same status in the Land of the Autobahn. In March, Ford sold 780 Mustangs in Deutschland compared to 752 Porsche 911s, 708 Audi TTs, 532 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupes and 442 Porsche Boxsters. The best-selling Italian is the Ferrari 488 with 41 units.

“Germans have fallen in love with the Mustang,” said Ford Germany managing director Wolfgang Kopplin. “Driving a Mustang GT on the Autobahn is a one of a kind experience for people who love cars.”

The Mustang however, didn’t ride the crest on year-to-date (Jan-Mar) sales figures; with 2,299 units sold, the Audi TT holds that crown for now. Nevertheless, the Mustang still saw impressive figures with 1,823 units sold. That beats the Porsche 911 (1,811), Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe (1,097) and Porsche Boxster (915).

Introduced in Germany last summer, the Mustang is impressing due to the performance offered in relation to its price among its rivals. The V8 Mustang GT is the more popular variant with the Germans despite being more expensive than the 4-cylinder turbocharged model (US$ 50,000 vs US$ 43,000). However, it’s still relatively cheap when compared to a Porsche 911 (US$ 110,000 equivalent in Germany).

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Ford Motor Company has created a diabolical 1.9-kilometre (1.2mile) road that consists of precise replicas of some of the worst potholes and road hazards from around the world. So what’s the point of this boulevard of broken suspensions? To help engineers create more robust chassis systems and develop new innovations to ensure Ford vehicles can better withstand the world’s increasingly choppy roads.

Potholes and other rough road surfaces have become a pricey problem for motorists around the world. Last year in the U.K. alone, the Royal Automobile Club responded to more than 25,000 pothole-related breakdowns – a nearly 25 per cent increase just since 2014.* Poor condition and lack of maintenance of European roads are said to contribute to at least one third of all accidents every year.** And we think we have it bad.

Ford World's Worst Road Test 2

The road is part of 80 kilometres (50 miles) of test tracks at Ford’s test facility in Lommel, Belgium. It incorporates potholes from Europe and the U.S., and simulates more than 100 hazards from 25 countries worldwide. In the past three years alone, Ford engineers’ search for scary road hazards has taken them to Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K., as well as Asia, Australia, North America, and South America.

Ford's World's Worst Road“From a rutted traffic junction in China to a bumpy German side-street, this road is a rogues’ gallery of the most bruising surfaces that our customers might encounter,” said Eric-Jan Scharlee, durability technical specialist, at Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground, in Belgium. “By incorporating these real-world challenges into our test facilities we can develop future vehicles to better cope with challenging conditions.”

Engineers are always investigating potential new additions for inclusion at the facility. Employing similar equipment to that used by seismologists studying earthquakes, the engineers drive through the potholes at speeds of up to 70 km/h (46 mph), using sensors to record the loads and strains to the suspension and components. This includes surfaces as diverse as granite blocks from Belgium, cobbles from Paris, and speed bumps from Brazil.

Ford’s obsession with making sure its cars can withstand the world’s worst roads has led to innovation. For example, Ford is debuting Continuous Control Damping with Pothole Mitigation technology in Europe on Mondeo, Galaxy and S-MAX. The technology adjusts the suspension if it detects that a wheel has dropped into a pothole, and can help protect the suspension from damage. Ford’s Tyre Pressure Monitoring System alerts drivers to punctures, and Electronic Stability Control can help drivers maintain control of their vehicle when avoiding obstacles.

Ford's World's Worst Road 2All Ford vehicles for Europe are tested at Lommel, where Ford engineers and test drivers cover more than 6 million kilometres (3.7 million miles) every year. For example, test drivers there drove the all-new Transit over the course more than 5,000 times as part of a testing regime designed to simulate ten years’ punishment in just six months. Test facilities also include a high-speed circuit, salt- and mud-baths and corrosion testing in high-humidity chambers. Prototype vehicles also are driven worldwide in temperatures ranging from -40 C to 40 C.

“Analysing data inputs during vehicle testing has enabled Ford to develop a range of advanced driver aids and design modifications to help continually improve the safety and robustness of our vehicles,” Scharlee said.

Click here to watch the video.

* Pothole callouts rise by a quarter

** European Commission: http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/192281_en.html

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If you’ve dreamed of owning and driving one of the most economical and capable pick-up trucks in Malaysia, then a visit to the Perfect Livin Exhibition might just win you a chance to get behind the wheel of a brand-new Isuzu D-Max.

As the main sponsor of the exhibition that will visit major locations in the country, Isuzu Malaysia will be giving away one unit of the ultra-capable 2.5-litre 4×4 and one unit of the luxurious 3.0-litre 4×4 Safari model to the lucky winners who participate in the What’s Your Hunch? contest.

To participate in the contest, visitors simply need to purchase RM500 worth of items at the Exhibition, guess the number of fluffy pillows stuffed into two units of Isuzu D-Max at the venue and submit their answers on the official contest forms.

However, if you simply cannot resist the temptation of these multi award-winning lifestyle vehicles, then go up to the Isuzu booth and ask the sales consultants about the exclusive offer on all Isuzu D-Max and MU-X, valid only at the Perfect Livin’ exhibition.

According to Hajime Machimura, Executive Director of Isuzu Malaysia, the association with Perfect Livin’ as the event’s main sponsor helps illustrate the versatility of the vehicle and showcase what possibilities a pick-up truck offers to urbanites.

“Urban folks are always looking for an adventure, be it off the beaten path indulging in their favourite weekend activity or on a shopping spree seeking out the latest bargains. With the versatility of a pick-up truck like the Isuzu D-Max, limitless possibilities are instantly available to every owner,” said Machimura.

The Isuzu D-Max comes with numerous class-leading features including one of the most spacious and comfortable interiors in its class and a large cargo bed designed for easy loading of hefty items.

Perfect Livin’, Malaysia’s premier home and lifestyle exhibition opened on April 7th at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and will run till April 10th, with over 1,200 booths offering a myriad of home-shopping solutions.

It continues to the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching from April 21st till 24th before heading to the Sultan Ahmad Shah International Convention Centre in Kuantan from May 5th till 8th and finally closing at the Setia City Convention Centre in Selangor from 3rd till 5th June.

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From now until 30 April 2016, a minimum spend of RM40 on any Shell fuel including Shell FuelSave 95, Shell FuelSave Diesel, Shell FuelSave Diesel Euro 5, Shell V-Power 97 or Shell V-Power Racing or a purchase of any Shell Helix, Shell Advanced and Shell Rimula lubricants, will enable you to buy selected products from Shell’s range of partners for only RM1 (you may alternatively choose to redeem these products with 100 BonusLink Points instead of RM1).

The weekly promotion allows you to buy up to three products from a wide variety of partners including Lipton, Yeo’s, Gatorade, Seasons, Kit Kat, Oishi, Milo, Revive, Wonda, Tropicana Frutz, 100 Plus, Ranger, Coke, Mountain Dew and SL Peanut.

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“At Shell, we aim to help motorists across the country enjoy more value whenever they are on the road, which is why we have launched ‘Get More with RM1’ to deliver a diverse range of quality products and offerings at only one ringgit. With this promotion, customers can choose – from Shell Select and Kedai stores nationwide – two food and beverage products that are rotated on a weekly basis, which gives them more choice, in addition to greater value,” said Datuk Azman Ismail, Managing Director of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn. Bhd.

The ‘Get More with RM1’ promotion reinforces Shell’s commitment to help motorists in Malaysia be more efficient in their busy lives, so that they are able to go further and do more of the things that they enjoy. With Shell, customers no longer need to compromise, as they can now stretch their ringgit further to get high quality products at great value, ultimately leaving the stations happier than when they arrived.

To find out more, visit www.shell.com.my/RM1 or call the Shell hotline at 1-300-88-1808 or email generalpublicenquries-my@shell.com.

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The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) is organizing a carnival this May. Called the My Auto Fest 2016, it will see the participation of major automotive brands like Citroen, Daihatsu, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Nissan, Perodua, Peugeot, Proton, Subaru, Toyota and Volvo. The carnival will be held over the weekend (20 – 22 May 2016) at the MINES International Exhibition & Convention Centre.

“This event is a good opportunity for car companies to turbo-charge their sales campaigns leading up to the Hari Raya festive season by ensuring visitors get the best deals only at My Auto Fest,” said MAA President, Datuk Aishah Ahmad. “We are also in discussion with several banks and insurance companies seeking their participation in the auto show,” she added.

“We won’t charge entrance fee because we want car shoppers to come with their families. When buying a family car, isn’t it better for the family to test drive and experience the car and compare with the other cars as well? Opportunities to test drive multi-brand cars will take place at the spacious outdoor area of the venue,” she said further.

As the My Auto Fest welcomes families, there will be more than just cars. Food trucks will be on-site to provide a varied food & beverages experience in an air-conditioned setting. There will also be games and activities for the children as well as lifestyle booths on health, fashion and fitness.

Auto Fest cover design

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Lexus Malaysia is holding a Special Service Campaign for selected units of the ES sedan subsequent to the announcement made by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) for a global recall campaign for certain Lexus ES and RX models concerning a brake actuator issue. The recall is for models which are equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS), Traction Control System (TRC), and Vehicle Stability Control System (VSC), all of which are controlled by the brake actuator.

There is a possibility that some brake actuators may have been assembled with a pump containing an O-ring that is damaged in such a way that the brake fluid pressure may not be properly controlled during ABS, TRC, and VSC activation. This could cause a loss of vehicle stability control and increase the risk of an accident.

In Malaysia, only the ES model is affected as the RX models do not have the issue. The ES models affected are those manufactured from September 2015 to February 2016. According to information from TMC, about 90 units were imported by Lexus Malaysia and owners of these units will be notified by the company.

Those who do not receive any notification or who wish to clarify if their car is affected can call the Lexus free-phone at 1800-8-LEXUS (53987) or contact the authorized Lexus dealer they bought their vehicle from.

All costs related to this Special Service Campaign will be borne by Lexus Malaysia.

Other Lexus models sold by the company are not affected.

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Malaysians have been making waves in two-wheeled motorsports lately and for fans (new and old) of motorcycle racing there is much more excitement coming this May when the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) Malaysian Round will be held at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from 13 to 15 May. Local hero, Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin, will return to the circuit in a new race. He is already making history as the first Malaysian to race for a full season in the championship, in the Supersport category.

Having made the move from Moto3 last season, Fahmi has raised hopes this season with promising performances in the first three races, riding for Team Orelac Racing Verdnatura of Spain. For motorsports and Fahmi’s fans, SIC is offering a promotional seat price of RM 63 to watch the race (63 is Fahmi’s race number, obviously).

2016 WSBK Orela Racing Zulfahmi Khairuddin 63The limited Fahmi 63 Tribune tickets are not just offer exclusive seats in front of the starting grid that faces the winners’ podium and the Team Orelac Racing pit garage but are also a substantial savings of RM 46.78 off the standard price.

“Fans will need to make their purchases early. There are limited seats available in this area and fans will need to show their support for Fahmi and the event on social media to be eligible for the promotional price. Nevertheless, it is a very simple process,” says Dato’ Razlan Razali, Chief Executive Officer of SIC, the promoter and organizer of the WSBK event.

The tickets are already on sale and the offer is available until 12 May or while stocks last. To qualify for the promotional offer, fans are required to upload their messages on social media with the hashtags #supportfahmi63 and #SepangWorldSBK. They would then need to show a screenshot of the message at any SIC counter to get the promotional price of RM 63. Fans can also opt for a special package with exclusive Fahmi 63 merchandise at RM 113. After 12 May, tickets for the Fahmi 63 Tribune revert to RM 119.78, inclusive of GST.

Tribune Fahmi63“We hope Fahmi’s brigade of fans will come in droves to support our Malaysian hero. We are confident that Fahmi will perform well to make Malaysia proud especially with the support from the local fans,” Dato’ Razlan added.

“The excellent performance by our Malaysian riders recently has created a surge of positive energy and excitement among Malaysians, who are counting on sports to generate a wave of patriotism and unity among the people from a wide variety of backgrounds. It would be great to see local support for Fahmi this coming May reflecting this pride in the achievements of our fellow Malaysians,” Dato’ Razlan commented.

In addition to the Fahmi 63 Tribune package, Maybank account holders can also enjoy a 20% discount off the standard price.

Sepang hosts Round 6 of the WSBK this year, the third edition of the Malaysian race and the final event under SIC’s three-year contract with Dorna, the worldwide rights holder for the series.

At the opening two rounds in Phillip Island, Australia and at Buriram, Thailand, Zulfahmi took 13th and 7th placing respectively. Starting from 17th on the grid for Round 3 at Aragon last weekend, Fahmi finished 8th at the Spanish race track despite facing issues with his tyres.

Round 4 will be held at Assen in the Netherlands on 17 April and round 5 in Imola Italy on 1 May before the world series comes to Sepang for Fahmi’s home race. In conjunction with the races in Assen and Imola, the SIC Zoomers will be organizing special Teh Tarik live viewing sessions with fans at the Podium by Daun in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

The achievements of the Malaysian MotoGP riders recently has also led to a surge in ticket sales for the race scheduled for 28 to 30 October 2016 in Sepang. At the Argentina MotoGP last Sunday, Khairul Idham Pawi of Team Honda Asia made history by becoming the first ever Malaysian to win a MotoGP race, and now places 4th in the Moto3 world standings with 25 points. Fellow Malaysian rookie Adam Norrodin of the DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team almost made it a 1-2 Malaysian finish but crashed in the last lap. Adam nevertheless impressed everyone with his determination when he pushed his bike to the finish line to collect 5 points in 11th place.

Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin of Petronas Raceline Malaysia continued to hold steady in Moto2, achieving 6th place in Argentina for 10 points. This follows his impressive 4th placing in the Qatar MotoGP season opener, which netted him 13 points, for a current haul of 23 points – placing him 4th in the Moto2 points table.

To find out more about tickets, call the Ticket Hotline at 03-8778 2222 or visit Sepang International Circuit’s website. Also, keep updated on the latest viewing sessions and activities in 2016 via SIC’s Facebook page.

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Nine Malaysian children had their artwork selected as the winning masterpieces in the national phase of the 2016 Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. The global contest, which is in its tenth year, is organised by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC).

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is one of the largest global art contest, participated by children from over 81 countries who shared their ideas about the future of mobility by drawing their dream cars. Each year, the contest starts around November of the prior year with the national phase where the best submissions in each category are chosen. There are three categories for different age groups – under 8 years old, 8 to 11 years old and 12 to 15 years old.

Drawings by the respective country’s winners are sent to TMC in Japan for the World Contest phase where every submission will be judged by TMC’s top management, together with art experts. The award ceremony for the World Contest phase is scheduled to be held in Japan this August and will be attended by participants whose drawing is selected as the finalist.

For this year’s National phase in Malaysia, UMW Toyota Motor received more than 600 entries, mostly coming from participants in the 10 – 12 year old category. Each submission was judged by a panel comprising of Malaysian art experts and UMW Toyota Motor management. The top three winners from each category are:

Under 8 years old category

1. Tee Kay Ray

2. Emerson Chong Tze Wei

3. Cher Tan

8 – 11 years old category

1. Lim Xiao Yun

2. Rachel Ong Kar Ern

3. Leong Zhen Hao

12 – 15 years old category

1. Lim Yuan Qian

2. Lim Xin Ying

3. Lee Sin Tian

Winners of each category received prizes for their efforts which included an Apple iPad Mini (first place), a mountain bike (second palce), and 2 tickets to the Legoland theme park in Johor (third).

“I would like to congratulate the lucky winners for their efforts and creativity and made it through to the World Contest,” said Datuk Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor. “Immense creativity was evident and it is assuring to know, from the artworks submitted, that the future generation has a desire to live in a safe and clean environment.”

Datuk Ismet added that a number of Malaysians have won awards in the World Contest over the years and in 2013, one of them even won the “Special President Akio Toyoda Award”, a special award which was chosen by the TMC President himself.

Autoworld is taking advantage of this to congratulate all the winners.

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UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) is offering great rewards for customers who purchase the Toyota models in the month of April. The rewards for selected Toyota models are given to customers for their purchase from UMWT showrooms or authorized dealers nationwide, until April 30, 2016.

Depending on the model and variant, the rewards include attractive cash rebates of up to RM 4,000 which will help to reduce the amount of hire-purchase (HP) loan taken by customers, thereby lowering the monthly instalment.

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Additionally, for those who buy a Toyota Vios, Corolla Altis or Camry Hybrid, there is also a free scheduled servicing for 5 years and the Toyota Vios and Corolla Altis also come with accessories worth up to RM 7,200. The accessories include items such as an advanced DVD audio-video infotainment system with GPS navigation, reverse camera, aerokit and digital video recorder.

“Toyota models have always been great value for money as they not only come with a generous range of standard equipment and features but also have the renowned built-in high quality that makes a Toyota vehicle more lasting,” said UMWT President, Datuk Ismet Suki.

“For this month, we enhance the value-for-money by giving additional items free of charge and also rebate for many models,” he said. “This attractive promotion is our way to thank loyal customers for their support all these years.”

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Datuk Ismet added that UMWT has a panel of finance providers which offer hire-purchase (HP) loans with attractive interest rates. As they are associated with UMWT, processing of applications is also being faster and more convenient (applicable with terms and conditions).

UMWT also has a panel of insurance companies of which customers who take the insurance coverage from these companies will enjoy additional benefits such as faster claims processing whenever accident repairs are necessary.

“Finally, as announced recently, we now give a full 5 years warranty, with unlimited mileage to all new vehicle purchased from April 1, 2016, subject to term and conditions. I believe this will give more value to the vehicles and peace of mind to our customers,” said Datuk Ismet.

The rewards program is also available for vehicles purchased at the Toyota WOW Roadshows that are presently ongoing. The upcoming roadshow venues are:

Linear Park (near Aeon Tebrau), Johor Bahru – 9 & 10 April

Kompleks Sukan Likas, Kota Kinabalu – 9 & 10 April

RTC – Teman, Kota Bharu – 22 & 23 April

Customers can obtain information on the rewards and book for test-drives at all Toyota showrooms. For further inquiries, please call the Toyota free-phone at 1800-8-TOYOTA (869682).

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In the shadow of towering concrete pylons; among fields of cassava deep in the Thai jungle; powering through rutted mountain tracks; grille-deep at a 4×4 testing facility: Whatever the world brings, the new Ford Ranger is in its element.

Built Ford Tough is an online documentary series, which Ford just launched, that showcases a team of Ford engineers in the field, punishing the new Ranger in conditions that echo what customers may experience – only taken to the absolute extreme.

“We spent years engineering the new Ranger and it is designed to withstand conditions beyond what could be considered normal use,” said Ian Foston, global chief program engineer for the Ford Ranger. “For this documentary series, we decided to take those tests to the next level, and see just how well the Ranger holds up in some of the roughest conditions we could imagine.”

A film crew followed the engineers as they traveled across Thailand in search of the most grueling environments, testing four key elements that define the Ranger’s tough versatility: its load box, torque output, water-wading capability and engine cooling systems. That search led the team from an under-construction BTS Skytrain transit hub in Bangkok all the way to mountains along the northern border of Thailand, where the roads are rough and the jungle is unforgiving.

Episode 1: Heavy Drop

The new Ranger was subjected to a punishing day at the job site, with pallets of wood, concrete tubes, bags of cement and stacks of steel dropped from 2.6 meters above the truck bed to test the outer limits of the Ranger’s load box.

Built Ford Tough Episode 1 - Heavy Drop

Episode 2: Tough Towing

At a working limestone quarry – over the course of a day marked in equal measure by torrential monsoon rains and high-intensity sun – Ford engineers put the truck toe-to-toe with industrial rock haulers to demonstrate the Ranger’s towing capability. The test employed a wheel-less steel sled designed to showcase the vehicle’s impressive breakaway force.

Built Ford Tough Episode 2 - Tough Towing

Episode 3: Deep Water

In the jungles of Kanchanaburi Province at a 4×4 testing facility, extensive water wading tests showed the new Ranger’s smart design taking on challenges that would stop others in their tracks. Engineers tested the Ranger in a variety of different scenarios, from higher speeds at 200 mm all the way to 800 mm with a full payload in the bed.

Ford Built Tough Episode 3 - Deep Water

Episode 4: 24-Hour Endurance

A 6.5 km jungle track through mountains on the northern Thailand border served as a grueling test site for the Ranger’s cooling systems, intelligently designed to manage high RPM stress and extended periods of extreme towing and payload demands – even for 24 hours straight.

Built Ford Tough Episode 4 - 24-Hour Endurance

“We put the Ranger through scores of tests during development, but nothing quite like Built Ford Tough,” said Foston. “There were some tense moments during the week, but the Ranger proved again and again that it is an incredibly capable truck.”

The episodes of Built Ford Tough are available on Ford Malaysia Facebook Page – subscribe to tune in.

 

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