Highlights of KLIMS 2013 @ Media Day !

Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2013 returned in the limelight after a three-year hiatus. The theme of this year's show is ‘Efficiency in Motion’. I'm grateful that I was able to join on the media day to have a glimpse at the grand event. 

First up is one of our beloved Japanese car manufacturers, Toyota. Toyota displayed 2 out of 5 concept cars available in the KLIMS 2013, namely Fun-Vii and NS4.

Camry Hybrid will be CKD-ed if it is sold in Malaysia. Perhaps National Automotive Policy (NAP) will be announcing some good news soon.

Lexus joined in the fun with the IS F Sport, LS 460L, ES250 and LF-A!

Volkswagen has the largest booth of all manufacturers, displaying more than 10 vehicles in KLIMS!

A 'cut out' model of the Volkswagen Golf to display Volkswagen's engineering, safety and innovation.

Volkswagen has unveiled the Polo 1.6 Hatchback CKD (third locally assembled VW model after Passat and Polo Sedan) in the KLIMS, going to be on sales next year and the price tag should be around RM86k. Two airbags, ISOFIX, Intelligent Crash Response System, RCD 320 radio and Climatronic auto air-cond as standard.

Introducing Blu! Volkswagen's mascot for the Think Blue campaign.

Blu is so cute, I can't stop myself from taking a photo with Blu!

Peugeot 2008 launched, price estimated at RM118k. The equipment list is long - one-touch foldable rear seats, Smart Park Assist, a panoramic roof with mood lighting, auto dual zone air-cond, 6 airbags and ESP, to name a few.

Look ma! A Perodua with boot! It's called the Global Model Sedan (GMS) Buddyz!

Ford unveiled the Ecosport SUV, from RM98k-RM108k. Booking is open now!

Finally it has arrived to our shore, the long awaited Ford Fiesta with 1.0L Ecoboost turbo engine! With 125PS and 170Nm, it has the performance which rivals a 1.6 litre engine. From RM96k-RM98k.

Honda wowed us with the EV-STER, a two-seater convertible, electric small sports car.

Accord Plug-in Hybrid is in KLIMS 2013 too, capable of travelling up to 37.6km in EV mode with a combined fuel economy of 70.4km/L!

This is a huge surprise where Honda Malaysia launched the all-new 5th generation Honda Odyssey here just two weeks after its debut in Japan! Odyssey EX is priced at RM228k while EXV is priced at RM248k. 2.4 litre i-VTEC, second row captain seats with Ottoman, 6 airbags, VSA while EXV has additional LED active cornering lights, Blind Spot Information with Cross Traffic Monitor, smart parking assist system, multi-view camera system and multi-view rearview camera. A worthy contender of the Toyota Previa (widely known as Estima).

Nissan Note, soon to be launched I guess.

Get ready to be electrified by the Nissan Leaf! Second EV launched in Malaysia after the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Priced at RM168,800, the Leaf is equipped with six airbags, VDC (Nissan's form of stability control) and hill-start assist. It's a big hatchback, with a boot space of 370 litres. So, it's suitable for small families as it's cheaper to run when Malaysia's electric rate is taken into comparison with the fuel price.

Classic cars such as the Dodge Challenger are displayed in one of the halls.

Ford T-Model.

Finally, it would not be an auto show without models!

Looking forward for more models participation of car manufacturers in the next KLIMS!

*UPDATE: Forgot to mention that Proton is absent from the KLIMS 2013 because there is no 'strategic' and big enough space for its booth. Too bad...

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Budget 2014 - No Tax Exemption for Hybrid Cars?

 Budget 2014 was announced earlier today by our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, which covered from the 6% Goods and Services Tax (GST) to aid for low income households. Unfortunately, there is no mention about incentives for hybrid cars in his speech.

Currently, the import tax and excise duty of hybrid cars are exempted, enabling Malaysian to afford hybrid cars at a more reasonable price. However, this benefit is only available up to 31st of December 2013, which is the last day of this year. If the exemption is abolished, Malaysian will not have affordable pricing for some popular hybrid cars such as the Honda Jazz Hybrid at RM90k and Toyota Prius at RM140k, not to mention the luxurious Lexus CT200h at RM170k and Audi A6 Hybrid at sub RM300k price.

 Hopefully some sort of announcement will be made before the end of this year to rectify about this issue. Same goes to the fate of electric vehicle (EV). The tax exemption for green cars should be continued as they produce lesser harmful emission to the environment and provide saving in petrol bill. Let's hope the fate of hybrid tax exemption won't be the same as sugar!

*UPDATE: Good news! National Automotive Policy (NAP) will continue to provide incentives for hybrid cars and Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV).

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2012 Lexus LS460L Launched in Malaysia !

Lexus Malaysia has launched the new Lexus LS460L at the Lexus Centre located in Mutiara Damansara. Note the word 'new' used to describe the LS460L because it is not exactly an all-new car, where the new LS460L is based on the old LS460L, but with 3000 new parts and bolder design. I must say the most prominent change lies at the spindle grille design, which gives the LS a more aggressive styling. Spindle grille can also be found on other current Lexus models such as the RX and GS.

To compare with its pre-facelift model, this LS460L has sharper looking front end. Some might say it looks more futuristic as well, thanks to the daytime running light that runs along with the upper curve of the spindle grille and LED fog lights.

It's a beautiful scene... Not to mention the almost flat engine bay, completely sealed for tidiness and better sound insulation.

There are three variants launched: LS460/LS460L, LS460 F Sport and LS600hL. LS460/LS460L shares the same 4.6 litres V8 engine which produces 380bhp at 6400rpm and 493Nm at 4100rpm with the LS460 F Sport. The LS600hL is a hybrid car with a 5.0 litre V8 engine and electric motor which has the combined output of 438bhp.

The gigantic 19-inch alloy wheel on the LS460L!

The L-shape light strips make the rather unexciting rear end more interesting to be looked at.

Lexus engineers have worked hard in reducing wind noise in the cabin, as a result, conversation clarity in the rear seats now rates at almost 100% when the LS is travelling at 100km/h! Wind noise is also nearly non-existence thanks to the change of material for the roof trim as well as the addition of aero fins to the door mirror!

It's a long car! The wheelbase for LS460 and the LS460L are 2969mm and 3091mm respectively, I'm sure even the short wheelbase LS460 has more than enough cabin space to stretch our legs inside!

As the flagship of Lexus, the LS460L's cabin is made with the most premium materials and everywhere felt it is built to last and high quality. The most interesting part of the interior must be the new Shimamoku finish (which is the wood finishing on the steering wheel). It involves layering of angle-cut dark and light shaded wood veneers in a process which requires 67 manufacturing steps for 38 DAYS! This shows that Lexus put quality as its priority.

The rear seats can be adjusted independently and electronically so that the two passengers at the back can sit comfortably in their own position's preference. To make sure the passengers inside are comfy in the ever varying weather of Malaysia (and some other countries), the LS460L is equipped with an enhanced cooling system where there are 13 infrared sensor placed around the cabin to sense the passengers' body temperature and adjust the climate control accordingly. Cool huh?

Although the LS460 F Sport and LS600hL are launched at the same time, they were, unfortunately, not displayed during the launch. Price wise, the LS460, LS460L, LS460 F Sport and LS600hL are priced OTR without insurance at RM788k, RM878k, RM818k and RM1,068,000 respectively.

By the way, the event came with awesome food as well!

Check out some of the studio shots of the Lexus LS:

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IIHS Launched New Small Overlap Crash Test

 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has unveiled a new kind of crash test. Instead of crash testing a car in conventional sense, which is in full frontal and 40% offset (above, left) condition, IIHS introduced a new small overlap crash test (above, right) which collides 25% of a car's front end into a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40mph (64km/h). This is to simulate a car colliding with a small pole, tree or even a car in similar fashion.

 The crash test result is dumbfounding. Out of 11 vehicles crash tested, only Volvo S60 and Acura TL earn good rating. Volvo will be glad that its reputation in safety can be retained. Infiniti G earns acceptable rating, while Acura TSX, BMW 3-Series, Lincoln MKZ and Volkswagen CC earn marginal ratings. Shockingly, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Lexus IS and Lexus ES300 earn poor ratings.

Let's compare the Volvo S60 (good) with the Lexus IS (poor). The top 2 show the Lexus IS' occupant compartment deformed greatly into the occupants' survival space while the bottom 2 show the Volvo S60 retained its survival space relatively well. This is hugely because Volvo beefed up the upper frame rail in the front fenders (above the front wheels). The weaker Lexus IS' front wheel intruded into the driver's footwell, causing it to pin against the driver's leg. Ouch!

 If the occupant's compartment is not stiff enough to withstand the impact, the steering wheel and dashboard might move out of position, causing the driver's head to miss the airbag such as in the case of this Lincoln MKZ below. Now do you realize the importance of this small overlap crash test? Hope more car manufacturers will pay more attention in this area in the future.

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