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With its 33 years of experience in the car business, during which time it helped make Honda the top-selling passenger car brand in Malaysia, the Oriental Holdings group, through its subsidiary Oriental-Hyundai Sdn Bhd (OHSB), aims to penetrate the market with the new Hyundai Elantra with the same sort of determination. The new sedan, assembled locally at Oriental Assemblers in Johor, is priced below notable Japanese rivals such as the Nissan Sentra, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis but positioned smack in their territory.

The new Elantra, which has a 1.8-litre engine, is priced at RM89,887.50 (with insurance, subject to government approval), which is significantly lower than the three rivals. However, OHSB is confident that given its numerous features, consumers will consider it very good value for money.

“We are certain that many customers will be impressed by the features the Elantra has and yet they do not have to pay as much as the Japanese 1.8-litre models,” said Lim Tiong Boon, Executive Director of OHSB. “And they will also find that Hyundai’s designers have paid attention to the little details that make a difference in comfort and convenience.”

For a car costing less than RM90,000 that is not a national make, the technical features of the Elantra are certainly impressive: 4-wheel disc brakes, driver’s side airbag, ABS+EBD and even VDO instrumentation.

Mr Lim, who is also in charge of operations at the assembly plant, noted that the project to assemble the Elantra took just six months, which was extremely fast. “The Koreans were very enthusiastic about getting local assembly going as quickly as possible and provided a lot of assistance,” he revealed, adding that the company had spent around RM7 million to establish a dedicated line for the Elantra.

Local content in the Elantra is expected to reach 40% eventually but in the future, OHSB is looking at exploiting the ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Scheme (AICO) to source components from other ASEAN countries. AICO allows exchanges of components between countries with no duty imposed but governments in countries concerned must approve of the exchange. Furthermore, when the components imported from another ASEAN country are used, they are considered as ‘local content’ in the country of assembly. However, the issue of local content being a mandatory requirement for Malaysian-assembled vehicles is to end on December 31st 2001.

The Malaysian assembly of the Elantra complements Hyundai’s activities in Indonesia where it assembled the Atoz. Trajet and Accent. According to a company executive, the Korean company is planning to assemble some models in the Philippines and Thailand in the near future. OHSB will also be adding a second model, the 2.0-litre Sonata sedan, towards the end of the year, with a third one still undecided between the Trajet and the new Matrix.

On sales and after-sales support to customers, OHSB Managing Director/CEO Dato’ Robert Wong said that there are 40 sales outlets, 35 service centres and 50 parts outlets around the country. These are made up of both OHSB’s Kah Bintang branches which have been set up to retail Hyundais as well as Hyumal branches and dealers. Hyumal, a unit of the Berjaya Group, is Oriental’s partner in OHSB.

In as far as the product distribution is concerned, OHSB will focus on the locally-assembled models but will also offer imported models such as the Trajet, Santa Fe SUV and Atoz. Hyumal will concentrate on the imported models and sell some locally-assembled cars. Additionally, OHSB has been appointed a dealer for Inokom vehicles (some Inokom light commercial vehicles are based on Hyundai models).

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    For its future car models, Mercedes-Benz is developing an innovative safety concept that will reduce the risk of injury for car occupants even further. The system known as PRE-SAFE, which Mercedes-Benz announced this month, recognises a potential collision in advance and activates special protection systems even before the impact. These include new belt tensioners and automatically adjusting seats.

    For the more distant future, other systems such as extending bumpers, ‘smart’ crash boxes in the front-end structure or movable interior components are conceivable, systems which are able to keep the occupants away from the deformation zones. If the collision is avoided at the last moment the PRE-SAFE systems reset themselves to their original status, thereby avoiding expensive repairs.

    This future-oriented concept is based on the findings of Mercedes accident researchers, which show that, in approximately two-thirds of all traffic accidents, there is a relatively long time interval between recognition of an impending accident and the impact itself. Thus, in future, this can be used to activate the vehicle’s protection systems.

    “Our present protection systems such as airbags, windowbags or belt tensioners must ensure safety in a matter of milliseconds, even though accident recognition can be measured in seconds. Making use of this interval opens up new dimensions in occupant protection,” explains Dr. Rodolf Schoeneburg, head of safety development at Mercedes-Benz.

    His vision has the following scenario: Even before the driver suddenly applies the brakes, things begin to happen in his car… the seat belts tension and restrain his torso, preventing his body from moving forward during the braking manoeuvre and ensuring a safe seating position. At the same time, the seat cushions of the front passenger and rear seats are tilted to the rear, while the door panels move into the car’s interior and mould themselves around the hips of the occupants like protective shields.

    Fractions of a second before, the sensors in his car have detected another vehicle that is on a collision course with his own. An accident is possible. As a precaution, the onboard computer therefore activates a number of protective systems to reduce the risk of injury to the occupants.

    Innovation for the future
    PREventive occupant SAFEty – PRE-SAFE for short – is what the safety specialists at Mercedes-Benz call this vision of an innovative safety system for the cars of the future. Already, engineers at the Mercedes Technology Centre have spent the last few months in intensive study of this trailblazing concept, which will make further significant advances in the vehicle safety sector possible in the future. They have already installed a number of conceivable PRE-SAFE systems in a test vehicle: automatically extending bumpers, movable interior door panels, sensor-controlled seats and other ideas for the preventive occupant protection of the future.

    In the view of Mercedes engineers, the early recognition of an impending accident and the development of suitable, situation-related occupant protection represents the greatest safety engineering challenge of the next few years.

    This innovative technology is based on systems that continuously monitor the driver, vehicle and road surface with the help of sensors and are automatically activated when danger is detected. Such systems are already installed as standard in Mercedes models today, and prove their worth millions of times every day by recognising critical situations at an early stage and preventing accidents: the anti-lock braking system (ABS), Brake Assist (BAS) and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). These driving safety systems form the basis for the innovative PRE-SAFE concept.

    In the field of occupant protection, too, Mercedes-Benz initiated the concept of preventive measures some time ago. As early as 1989, the Stuttgart company set a milestone by equipping the SL-Class Roadster with an automatic rollover bar that snaps into position in just 0.3 seconds if a rollover threatens. The CLK-Class Cabriolet is likewise equipped with such an anticipatory rollover protection system.

    With high-performance adaptive airbags, side and windowbags, belt tensioners, belt force limiters and crash-optimised body structures, most of the potential in passive safety technology has now been exploited according to safety specialists. New concepts are required if further advances are to be made. This is why, at Mercedes-Benz, the term ‘safety’ no longer refers only to crash safety. “For us, PRE-SAFE means the logical continuation of our long-held safety philosophy,” says Dr. Schoeneburg. “In future, we will also be able to use the time interval between recognising a dangerous situation and the point at which the actual impact occurs, to prepare the car for the impending crash and therefore give the occupants the best possible protection. Our previous protection concept will therefore be supplemented with an additional PRE-SAFE phase.”

    The phases are as follow:

    Warning phase: Sensors on the axles and bodywork monitor the vehicle’s behaviour. When the dynamic limits are reached, a yellow warning symbol lights up in the cockpit.

    Assistance phase: Standard dynamic systems such as ABS, Brake Assist and ESP automatically intervene in critical situations and help to make these controllable for the driver.

    PRESAFE phase: The sensors detect the enhanced probability of an accident. Various safety systems are activated as a precaution to prepare for the possible accident and condition both the vehicle and its occupants. If the accident is avoided, the PRE-SAFE systems are automatically reset to their original status.

    Light impact: In the case of impacts up to 15 km/h, the bumpers and crash boxes in the front-end module absorb the impact energy. The inertia-reel belt system is blocked. Sensors monitor the impact severity and prevent activation of the airbags if their additional protection is not required.

    Minor accident: During a more serious impact, robust structural members in the front end, sides and rear end absorb energy and distribute the forces over a wide area. The belt tensioners go into action. Depending on impact severity, the front airbags inflate less than fully to ensure optimal occupant protection. Sidebags and windowbags provide protection during a lateral impact. The automatic front passenger and child safety seat recognition system prevents activation of the front passenger airbag and belt tensioner if they are not required. The fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.

    Serious accident: In the event of even greater risk to the occupants a second, additional stage is activated in the front airbags. At the same time, the seatbelt force limiters are activated.

    Recovery phase: The doors are automatically unlocked after the accident. The emergency call system TELEAID (an optional feature) alerts the emergency services and guides them to the scene of the accident. The hazard warning flasher system is switched on.

    Precautionary protection as found in nature
    Accident analyses carried out by engineers in Sindelfingen show that in two thirds of all collisions, enough time elapses before the impact to activate protective systems. In roughly 60% of the more than 1,000 reconstructed accidents, the vehicles involved were in a dynamic state which indicated an impending impact. Dr. Schoeneburg asked: “In critical situations like these, why should we wait until the crash actually happens?”

    Mother Nature is a perfect model for the PRE-SAFE concept, for every living being follows an inborn safety strategy. Take the domestic cat as an example: if a cat is obliged to jump from a great height to escape a pursuing enemy, it instinctively stretches its legs to their fullest extent in order to absorb the landing impact with maximum “suspension travel”. People also have precautionary reactions: if we see a snowball flying towards us, we close our eyes as a reflex reaction. Both are optimal, situation-related precautions on the part of nature.

    Sensors play vital role
    The PRE-SAFE system with which future Mercedes models will be equipped relies on sensors that not only recognise a critical dynamic situation, but also provide data from which the computer is able to predict an accident with a high degree of probability. This enables the electronics to initiate suitable protective measures even before the crash. Mercedes-Benz takes a multi-stage approach with this sophisticated sensor system, which is divided into four sub-systems:

    Dynamic sensor system: This evaluates the actual vehicle dynamics and detects critical deviations from the nominal dynamic values. For this purpose it measures, for example, the speed, braking torque, brake pedal speed, wheel slip, acceleration around the vertical axis, spring travel, steering speed and tyre pressure.

    Pre-crash sensor system: This monitors the surroundings using, for example, ultrasonic, infrared or radar technology and image processing and registers the distance from a possible obstacle, the relative speed and the possible angle of impact. This provides information concerning the nature and severity of an accident.

    Crash sensor system: This recognises an actual impact within a few milliseconds with the help of acceleration, pressure, intrusion and contact sensors that can even provide information about the final severity of the accident.

    Interior sensor system: This establishes which seats in the vehicle are occupied, measures the weights of the passengers, monitors the seat belt buckles and will in the distant future also register the positions of the occupants using infra-red signals or image processing.

    On the basis of all this sensor data, a powerful computer prepares the vehicle components and vehicle structure for an impending accident. This involves, for example, extending the bumpers and activating the crash boxes in the front-end structure so that depending on accident severity, they will generate suitable forces to absorb a large proportion of the impact energy before it can act on the vehicle occupants. In the event of an impending lateral collision with an off-road vehicle, van or truck, the computer uses the Active Body Control system to raise the vehicle body and improve compatibility. At the same time, the sliding roof is automatically closed to prevent the occupants from being thrown out in the event of a rollover.

    Things also start to move in the interior if the electronics have calculated the high probability of an accident. The purpose of these measures is to ensure that the occupants are placed in the most protected position possible even before the impact.

    Automatic seat adjustment lowers the seat cushion to the rear if required and adjusts the backrest to the best possible position so that the airbag and seat belt can function with optimum effect. The belt tensioners are already activated before the impact, preventing the occupants from moving too far forward during emergency braking or preventing excessive lateral movements of the torso if the car begins to skid.

    Tests carried out by Mercedes engineers show that the PRE-SAFE belt tensioner is able to reduce forward body movement by up to 150 millimetres and lateral movement by up to 300 millimetres. This means that the occupants are in the best possible seating position when the impact occurs, enabling the airbags to carry out their protective function to the full.

    A knee protector automatically extends from the instrument panel to reduce the forces acting on the legs during a frontal impact. It would also be conceivable to install interior door panels that move towards the occupants before the crash and keep them away from any body components that might penetrate into the interior during the accident. Extending panels on the insides of the B-pillars could carry out the same protective function.
    Mercedes-Benz has already developed the sensor systems and actual protective components of the PRE-SAFE system to the stage that they can be subjected to practical vehicle trials. An important principle applies here: these innovative systems must not impair the driveability of the car. If the accident can be avoided at the very last moment, they must reset themselves to their original status.

    Accident-free driving with “thinking” systems
    Mercedes-Benz has set its safety objectives even higher for the long-term future. There are plans for a “thinking” car that is able to recognise its surroundings. This means not only recognising the road ahead or other vehicles, but also traffic lights, road signs and pedestrians.

    In addition, the cars of the future will be able to interpret traffic scenarios and if necessary initiate accident prevention measures by themselves. This is how automobile researchers gradually intend to approach their long-term objective: almost completely accident-free motoring.

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    In order to clear public confusion over the issue of Honda dealers alleged to be ‘defecting’ to Oriental-Hyundai to sell Hyundais, DRB-Oriental-Honda (DOH) and Kah Motors (KM) have jointly issued a statement which explains that some KM outlets will, from this Thursday, be selling Hyundais.

    This development is not the result of the outlets switching suddenly but these outlets were not included when DOH signed new distributorship agreements with Honda dealers on July 2nd 2001. Only 12 existing KM branches signed the agreement to be official Honda dealers at that time.

    The remaining KM branches which did not sign the agreement will become branches of Kah Bintang Sdn Bhd, which is the new company retailing Hyundai vehicles. Kah Bintang is a unit of the Oriental-Hyundai which is the distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Malaysia. It will officially launch the new Hyundai Elantra on Thursday, August 23rd 2001.

    The KM branches which will become Kah Bintang outlets are located at Jalan Ipoh (Kuala Lumpur), Jalan 223 and Subang Jaya (Petaling Jaya, Selangor), Sunny Point (Penang) and Johor Bahru.

    Commenting on the dealership network it has established, M. Takano, General Manager of Sales & Distribution at DOH said that it actually has more dealers than what would be required, given the present sales volume.

    “Compared to the period before the economic downturn, the number of Honda vehicles sold today by each dealer is about half the number,” he told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY at the time the dealership agreements were signed. “Nevertheless, we assure our valued customers that the quality of services at our 34 showrooms and 41 authorised service dealers nationwide will remain of a high standard, as we have a “Customer Driven” philosophy of ensuring quality after-sales services.”

    Earlier story on DOH signing distributorship agreements

    Related story on Oriental-Hyundai

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    In commemoration of Malaysia’s 44th National Day, Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad (EON) will be running a `Merdeka Twin Celebration’ promotion for customers buying a Proton Iswara.

    “Effective from August 20th 2001, until September 30th 2001, anyone taking delivery of a Proton Iswara from EON will be eligible to participate in a simple-to-win contest that entitles three winners to an equivalent Proton Iswara as a prize,” said EON motor group executive director Donald Choo.

    All that is required is for customers to provide a twin name for their Proton Iswara. Names that come to mind easily include Iswarina, Iswarol, Isawaja or perhaps Iswaraman. In addition, a 15-word slogan will help determine an outright winner.

    The Merdeka Twin Celebration promotion is being launched at all EON’s 53 branches and 125 sales dealers nationwide. Each customer is entitled to only one entry form for the contest.

    Concurrently, a ‘Win-A-Waja’ contest is also ongoing for the same period. Under the same terms in which customers must take delivery of any Proton car from now until September 30th 2001 are eligible to win a Proton Waja.

    “An Iswara customer could also be extra lucky and have three cars including a Waja in one go!” suggested Mr.Choo.

    EON is aggressively driving sales in what can best be described as a buoyant mood for car purchases. At its recent EON Autofair held earlier this month at its Glenmarie headquarters in Shah Alam, Selangor, the company reaped in just one weekend, over RM10 million in sales of new cars, used cars, original Proton parts, car accessories, car care products, and auto service and repairs.

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    Stamford Tyre Mart will commemorate the opening of its new branch (on August 24th) in Kuala Lumpur with special offers that include discounts on tyres and services.

    Customers who visit the new branch at Taman Maluri between August 24th and September 30th 2001 will be able to send their vehicle in for a free tyre clinic as well as enjoy introductory prices on new tyre purchases (20% off), rim purchases (10% off) and also get special prices for tyre/rim packages. And for just RM20, they can get wheel balancing + wheel rotation + wheel alignment.

    The new branch is located along Jalan Makhota, behind JayaJusco Cheras.

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    Lotus owners in Malaysia tonight gathered at a shopping complex in Bandar Utama to witness the official inauguration of the Lotus Cars Club of Malaysia (LCCM), a development which is said ‘to take manufacturer’s and customers relationship in the local motor vehicle industry to a new realm’.

    According to LCCM President Raja Halimaton Shahrin, the formation of the club has taken some one and a half years of planning and has been possible due in no small way to the support given by Proton, the parent company of Lotus.

    ”Since the Lotus Elise became available in Malaysia in 1999, the owners of this wonderful performance sportscar have been talking about forming a club which we can call ‘home’. All clubs and associations would love to have a roof over their heads and we are no exception,” she explained.

    Elaborating further, she said that LCCM will be a vantage point for members to meet, organize social activities and develop a strong relationship with the distributors and manufacturer of Lotus cars. Even before the club was formed, the owners (virtually all having Elises) had been organising drives around the country with strong support from Lotus Cars Asia-Pacific, a division of Proton. Later this month, there will also be an Elise team taking part in the Millennium Merdeka Endurance Race.

    A significant activity in LCCM will be the Performance Driving Programme which was established in April this year. The objectives of this systematic and advanced driving programme are to teach Elise owners to drive their cars skilfully and confidently. It was initiated by LCCM’s competitions secretary, Marcus Chye, with the blessings of Lotus Cars A-P and Proton.

    “This programme was specifically designed to make the members adept with the unique performance characteristics of the Elise both on and off the track. We want them to enjoy the sheer pleasure of driving the Elise fast and yet be conscious enough to show total respect for road safety,” said Raja Halimaton Shahrin.

    She added that it is the club’s vision to become a premier sportscar club in Malaysia which will be known for its constructive contribution to nurturing competent drivers, respecting the environment and raising the level of safety awareness. During this evening’s event, the first 24 graduates of the Performance Driving Programme received their certificates.

    Officiating at the inauguration ceremony was Proton Edar CEO Maruan Mohd Said who told the guests present that Proton was very enthusiastic about the establishment of LCCM. He considered it the ‘dawn of a new era of relationship between the manufacturer and Lotus car owners in Malaysia.

    Owning a Lotus is, of course, a pre-requisite to become a member of LCCM and if you are keen to acquire one, you’ll have to buy it new since it seems that no owner is willing to part with their car. The good news is that you can still buy a brand new Elise for RM195,000 (without insurance). Lotus Cars A-P Deputy General Manager Oh Kah Beng told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY that they still have about 50 units in stock.

    “Demand was slow for a while but my gut feeling is that it’s starting to pick up again and we are getting inquiries and firm orders,” he said.

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    As with the press preview of the Kenari, Perodua chose a racing circuit to introduce the new Kelisa to the Malaysian media. This time, however, it was the Sepang F1 Circuit. To be honest, I had reservations about this venue given that the Kelisa is a small, modestly-powered car. But then again, there’s always the problem of safety when using public roads for such purposes so the ‘one-way road’ of a racing circuit makes more sense. Besides the media, Perodua was also previewing the Kelisa to its dealers and members of its owners’ club and these people were delighted to have a chance to motor around the world-class track.

    There wasn’t much of an opportunity to really test the car as only single laps were allowed per car. But it was still possible to get an impression of the new car and in a nutshell, I’d say it is a nice little car for town use and which should be more pleasant for inter-city travel than the Kancil.

    Both the manual and automatic versions had the same nippy acceleration although with the manual, you can get much more brisk starts. Engine noise seemed better subdued than in other Peroduas although that ‘motorboat sound’ of a 3-cylinder engine was still apparent.

    Shifting with the automatic transmission was smooth but I found that the gear positions are for ‘D4′, ‘2′ and ‘1′. Thus, if I wanted to drop out of the overdrive top gear to decelerate for a corner, it was not possible to slot into 3rd gear. Dropping down to 2 may not be a good idea if you are charging into a corner too fast.

    With the manual, driving was a lot more fun and the selection of ratios appeared well spaced. In the first two gears, the revs build up very quickly and you can hit to redline easily.

    As for the handling, I would say this is pretty good for a car in this class, thanks to the low centre of gravity. The car tracks through turns obediently, especially when rolling on the 60-series rubber. If you corner tidily, you will get some understeer and if your speed is on the high side, the understeer sets in progressively. On one of the cars I tested, I found that sudden lifting-off on the accelerator pedal induced a somewhat disconcerting rear-end shift. However, this seemed to be on only one car and the other one that I tried was not so ‘frisky’ – may have been due to tyre pressures.

    Can’t say much about ride comfort since the track is flat but I can tell you that the interior and the driving position all have the ‘full-sized feel’ and there is no sense of being cramped, as some people would feel in a Kancil. At the back, the legroom is also adequate and I was particularly impressed with the cushions.

    Small cars are always fun to drive as their modest power outputs mean that you can’t get into a lot of trouble. The well set up chassis of the Kelisa would allow an average driver to exploit more of the power and for the more experienced types, there will be much joy driving right up to the limit. This is all suggested in the advertisements you will see on TV and in the papers shortly and I’m sure that you will find them a refreshing change from the usual sort of predictable themes.

    - Chips Yap -

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    ENGINE
    Type: 3 cylinders (EJ-DE)
    Location: Front, transversely mounted
    Displacement: 989 cc
    Bore x stroke: 72 x 81 mm
    Valvetrain: DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
    Compression ratio: 10.0:1
    Fuel delivery system: EFI
    Max power: 40.5 kW/55 ps @ 5200 rpm
    Max torque: 88.3 Nm @ 3600 rpm
    Weight/power ratio: ~19.5 kgs/kW
    Power output/litre: 40.9 kW

    DRIVETRAIN
    Driving wheels: Front
    Gearbox: 5-speed manual/4-speed automatic (EZ only)
    Final drive ratio: 3.938 (manual)/4.439 (auto)

    BODY & CHASSIS
    Construction: Monocoque
    Bodystyle: 2-box, 5-door hatchback, top-hinged rear door
    Front suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, lower A-arms, anti-roll bar
    Rear suspension: Beam axle with semi-trailing arm 3-link location, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers
    Steering system: Rack and pinion, power-assisted (GX & EZ)
    Standard tyre size: 155/65R13, 165/60R13
    Front brakes: Vented discs
    Rear brakes: Drums

    DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
    Overall length: 3,480 mm
    Overall width: 1,490 mm
    Overall height: 1,425 mm
    Wheelbase: 2,360 mm
    Front track: 1,300 mm
    Rear track: 1,260 mm
    Ground clearance: 165 mm
    Kerb weight: 775 ~ 795 kgs
    Fuel tank capacity: 40 litres
    Turning radius: 4.3 metres

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    GENEROUS CABIN SIZE

    With its larger exterior dimensions, the Kelisa cabin has a spaciousness comparable to the Kenari, except that the ceiling is about 200 mm lower. Having the generous 2360 mm wheelbase allows the cabin length to be as much as 1720 mm and coupled with a width of 1220 mm, there is enough space for five adults to sit comfortably. The seats are all full-sized types and have rather thick cushions.

    The dashboard is quite a simple affair with ventilation controls in the same module as the instrumentation and the audio system further down the centre section. Cupholders are provided but still no teh tarik holders!

    An interesting piece of equipment which will be available on the Kelisa EZ (the topmost version with automatic transmission) is an audiophone. This is a handsfree system for mobilephones which is integrated with the audio system. To the right of the steering column is a magnetic pad on which the phone can be attached and below it is a retractable cable to hook up to the system. Over on the centre part of the dashboard is another cable which is connected to an earpiece and microphone. Calls can be routed through the audio speakers, if desired – something which has so far been available only in very expensive luxury models. Most popular models of phones in the market should fit but Perodua says that there will be adapters available as well. It’s a first in Malaysia and Perodua should be commended for offering this feature which will enhance driving safety.

    Another interesting new feature is the situation of the levers for opening the rear hatch and fuel lid in a position next to the handbrake lever. It’s a more practical location and now that Perodua has put it there, one wonders why no one else has thought of it before!

    Depending on the version, power windows and electrically-operated door mirrors are fitted. A coin slot is also provided on the driver’s door and there are pockets on each front door for odds and ends.

    continued on page 4


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    The boot volume is modest and can be enlarged by folding down the one-piece backrest. There’s a removable parcel shelf and under the floor panel is the spare wheel. We noticed that the well for the spare wheel was not deep enough to fully accommodate the wheel so the panel was raised slightly. Apparently, the wheel well was originally designed for a skinny space-saver tyre but the right size is not made in Malaysia so Perodua has not choice but to put in a full-sized spare.

    With the Kelisa, as mentioned earlier, Perodua is targeting its existing base of Kancil owners although it also hopes to draw first-time buyers as well as those wanting an additional car in the home. The company also expects to attract more males who have liked the performance of the Kenari but not necessarily its styling.

    1,200 ORDERS ALREADY IN
    Since August 8th, when bookings for the Kelisa were accepted, about 1,200 orders have been received which is quite encouraging indeed. If the orders don’t get too far past 1,500 units (the production planned for August), it is likely that customers will be able to get their Kelisas without having to ensure ridiculously long waiting periods that are often the case with new national cars. 14,000 units are planned for production during 2001 and Perodua expects that these will contribute to its target of 115,000 units for the year and a 31% share of the market. Interestingly, this target was set as far back as 1996 when its share was 19% and it is still on track in spite of the economic hiccup which even delayed the model launch program by a year.

    At the time of writing, Perodua still could not provide the confirmed price as there are still discussions with the Treasury concerning the excise duty to be imposed. Being a national carmaker like Proton, Perodua can apply to the government for a lower excise duty which would enable the retail price to be lower. However, at this time, the anticipated prices are said to range from RM36,000 ~ RM39,000.

    With this price structure, it is likely that sales of the top version of the Kancil 850 (the EZ Auto) will be affected since the gap is close to that of the cheapest Kelisa. Perodua still foresees that the Kancil will be its top-selling model accounting for at least 75% of sales although the company’s MD, Datuk Abdul Rahman Omar, is optimistic that the Kelisa can be ‘the next Kancil’.

    Perodua will also be exporting the Kelisa in due course. The first market will be UK and it was also revealed that a lefthand drive variant has been developed. This will be sold in Middle East countries from early 2002.

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