Malaysian Cars Thread

[pedang]

Perodua to launch new models

By Yeow Pooi Ling

PETALING JAYA: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is likely to launch at least one new model next year.

Last year, after launching MyVi, the second national carmaker had indicated plans to produce one new model each year but this has not materialised this year.

“When we launched the MyVi last year, we did not expect such an overwhelming response, which took over half of our production,” managing director Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar told StarBiz.

He said while demand for MyVi continued to be strong, the waiting period had now been reduced to four months from six previously.

The first batch of MyVi to be exported will go to Britain by end-September. Perodua had targeted to export 500 units to the country by year-end, Hafiz said, adding that by mid-2007, it was anticipated to export the same model to Indonesia.

Hafiz said Perodua had embarked on the next phase of capacity expansion at its Serendah plant, increasing it to 240,000 vehicles next year from 200,000 as of last December.

It was reported recently that Perodua would roll out a replacement model for Kancil and Kelisa in March.


Perodua MD Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar ... Perodua has embarked on the next phase oof the capacity expansion at its Serendah plant.
Hafiz said consumers, on average, changed cars every four years. Therefore, it is vital that carmakers like Perodua be prepared to meet the demand for new models.

The company had targeted sales of 165,000 units next year from this year's estimate of 158,000, he said. Last year, it sold 138,466 vehicles.

He said the target was in line with its aim to sell 180,000 cars by 2010.

While the focus currently was still on compact cars with engine capacity of between 1,000 and 1,300 cc, “naturally it would move into the 1,500 cc segment” in the next two to three years given the competitive environment, Hafiz said.

On the glut in the second-hand car industry, he said hopefully the situation would improve in the second half of the year.

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[haze]

Naza plans assembly plant in India


August 17 2006


PLANS are under way for major local automotive player, the Naza Group, to go international by venturing into the assembly and sale of its entry segment car models in India, industry sources said yesterday.

Naza Automotive Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, they said, aims to identify an area in Tamil Nadu state in South India and seek the state government's assistance to secure land on which the proposed plant would be built.

"If discussions progress well, the plan could start materialising from next year on," said one source.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that he and Naza chairman Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin would meet the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanithi in Chennai (Madras) to discuss the assembly plant matter further.

"Tan Sri Nasimuddin met me recently to seek my help to meet with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister since I will be in Chennai to attend an international conference on Thursday," he said in a statement.

They left with a small delegation yesterday for a brief visit to Chennai.

Naza plans initially to assemble its entry car models at the planned Indian plant for sale in the booming Indian market, sources said.

Last year alone, there were 1.3 million new car registrations in India and the layer of middle class Indians with affordability to buy cars is thickening, according to recent reports

Feasibility studies by Naza had indicated that local assembly of its own car models in India itself would be the best option for the group as duties are quite exorbitant for imported models in the country. Also, the vendor base in India is said to be of high quality.

Chances are that Naza's latest models, the Naza Sutera mini car and the Naza 206 Bestari which is the CKD version of the Peugeot 206, will be the first models assembled at the proposed plant.

If car assembly plan is eventually agreed on in Tamil Nadu, CKD parts would be sent from Malaysia to the plant for assembly. Such a move by Naza would be in line with the requirements of the National Automotive Policy which encourages exports of made-in-Malaysia cars and parts, the sources said.

Naza might also be contemplating assembling motorcycles at the plant as there is a big potential market for motorcycle sales in India as well, they added.

[haze]

Proton cars to hit Saudi roads this month

SHAH ALAM: Proton cars are expected to hit the streets of Saudi Arabia this month through a newly appointed Riyadh-based distributor, Al Rashed & Al Thunayyan Auto Co.

Al Rashed general manager Khaled A. Al-Thunayyan said the company would be receiving the first shipment of 100 Proton cars, including the Gen 2, Waja Campro and Savvy, by middle of this month.

“We expect to have between 100 and 120 units of the cars monthly. Hopefully, the number will increase to between 4,000 and 5,000 units annually,” he said in an interview in Shah Alam.

Al Rashed, which has offices in Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and seven other cities, is part of a conglomerate with business interests ranging from engineering, trading, construction, finance, investment, travel, furniture, vehicle trading, watches and jewellery.

Besides Proton, Khaled said, Al Rashed also distributed brands such as Kia, Samsung and Faw.

Al Rashed has been appointed the exclusive Saudi Arabian distributor for Proton for a five-year period. It is under a contractual volume commitment of 1,060 units for the first year, 1,800 units for the second year and 2,400 units for the third year.

Saudi Arabia is the largest vehicle market in the Middle East. The market is worth over 41 billion Saudi riyal with over 275,000 vehicles imported annually.

It is also the world's fifth largest market for auto parts, accessories, service and garage equipment, with of spendings more than US$2.3bil annually.

According to a study, the car market in Saudi Arabia is expanding by 12.7% a year due to its strong economy and customer-friendly packages offered by banks.

On why the company chose to distribute Proton cars, Khaled said the most important factor was that Proton cars were made using very high technology.

“We are targeting the cars to cater to our growing younger population,” he said.

Khaled, who visited the Proton plant in Tanjung Malim along with several members of the Saudi media recently, said he was amazed by the technology used by the national carmaker.

He said a campaign would be launched to promote Proton cars in the kingdom.

Khaled said Al Rashed was established in 1945 by his father before it diversified into the vehicle business in 1994.

He is confident that Proton would have a bright future in the Saudi Arabian market.

“We will look into the possibility of setting up an assembly plant in the kingdom should the demand increase substantially,” he said, adding that Al Rashed was also distributing cars in other parts of the Middle East, including Jordan.

According to Khaled, one of the competitive advantages of Al Rashed was its readily available infrastructure and network of distributors.

“We have a complete range of infrastructure – showrooms, workshops and parts centres – in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, plus seven other cities,” he said, adding that Al Rashed also provided after-sales service.

Under their agreement, Proton will send its engineers and mechanics to Saudi Arabia while Al Rashed will send its staff for training at the Proton plant. – Bernama

[Very Controversial]

Any plans for a Wira replacement model? If there is, I hope they do not use the same front lamps as the Satria Neo. I hated the fact that Putra, Old Satria and Wira and also Arena shared the same front lamp.

[hetfield85]

Proton plans to launch 2 cars in mid-2007
By Zuraimi Abdullah
bt@nstp.com.my

September 9 2006

PROTON Holdings Bhd plans to launch two new cars by mid-2007 and enter new markets mainly in Asia, including the Middle East countries, to bolster sales and exports.

Its chairman Datuk Mohammed Azlan Hashim said the company's strategy is now focused on entering new markets with least barriers, while strengthening its presence in the UK, Australia and Iran.

Proton plans to introduce more CBU (completely-built-up units) cars in the UK and Australia, as well as export them and CKD (completely knocked down) units to Indonesia, Thailand, the Middle East and eastern European countries.

Proton is studying the feasibility of setting up CKD operations in India and China, and had appointed a sole distributor in Saudi Arabia to market its cars there.

The company is aiming to sell the Gen.2 and Waja in Saudi Arabia through Al Rashed & A: Thunayyan Auto Co by end-September.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest car market in the Middle East, now importing over 275,000 units worth RM43.1 billion.

Proton exported 12,519 units as at end-August, nearly matching the figure for the whole of 2005 of 13,512 cars.

"The exports for the whole of 2006 will be significantly higher than in 2005," Azlan said.

The company said it is finalising initial pacts with Mitsubishi Motor Corp and two Chinese firms, Jinhua Youngman Automobile Group Co and Chery Automobile Co.

Azlan said Proton also accelerated its new vehicle programme, which included a review of models to ensure they are designed and conceived based on market needs, and not for niche segment.

Proton, Azlan said, had bucked the industry trend after sales of the national car grew 17.5 per cent in August to 11,796 units.

In July, Proton sales rose 21 per cent over June due to fresh marketing campaigns, as opposed to a 5.6 per cent contraction in the overall industry in July.

"Obviously, our gap with Perodua has been narrowed in the last two months. We are much more confident with the planned launch of two new models next year," managing director Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said, commenting on when Proton can regain number one position in the market.

Azlan and Syed Zainal were speaking at a press conference after Proton's annual general meeting in Shah Alam yesterday.

Azlan said Proton's latest model Satria Neo has been well-received, with 2,750 units sold and another 4,000 orders in hand since its launch in June.

"This has surpassed the company's expectations for the niche three-door hatchback," he said.

[hetfield85]

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story...6&sec=business
Proton sales in Britain surge 48%

PETALING JAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd has seen a surge in car sales in Britain as the number of cars sold from January to last month is 48% higher at 1,702 compared with the 1,148 sold in the same period in 2005.

The company said in a statement that for August, sales were up 79% although the private buyer segment saw sales dip by 10%.

Proton UK general sales and marketing manager Simon Park was reported to have said that a growing dealer network, and the Savvy and ongoing advertising campaigns had resulted in the increase in sales this year.

[pedang]

Proton looks to China to make bigger cars


By Zuraimi Abdullah
zuraimi@nstp.com.my


September 28 2006


PROTON Holdings Bhd may produce a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) under its collaboration with Chinese carmaker Chery Automobiles Co Ltd, said Alado Corp Sdn Bhd, another party to the possible tripartite alliance.

Senior Alado executives said the companies hope to finalise a deal by the end of the year.

"The companies should work closely on the MPV (first) once the deal is materialised," Alado executive chairman Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong told reporters at the soft launch of Chery QQ AMT (automated mechanical transmission) minicar in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Proton signed an initial pact with Chery and the latter's Malaysian distributor Alado last May to do a feasibility study until end-August on the assembly and distribution of Proton and Chery vehicles in China, Malaysia and other South-East Asian countries.

Early this month, Proton said the study would be extended for another two months.

Soh said his other company, Information Gateway Corp Sdn Bhd (IGC), may scrap plans to locally assemble 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre cars made by Geely International Corp at Oriental Holdings Bhd's plant in Johor. Instead, the company plans to replace the models with a 1.6 litre Geely car.

He said the original move would pit Geely cars on the level playing field with the national models.

Soh said IGC has received approval to assemble the 1.6-litre Geely car and expects to sign a deal with Oriental by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Alado expects to sell 1,000 units of Chery QQ AMT in 2007. From now until the end of the year, sales of the 880cc car are expected to touch 200 units.

QQ AMT, a variant of the Chery QQ launched by Alado in June, is the first compact car below one litre in Malaysia to be fitted with AMT technology featuring both a manual transmission and automatic mode.

The fully-imported QQ AMT sells at RM42,888.

Alado will bring the QQ AMT from China for a short period as by the first quarter of next year, Chery's Indonesian partner should be ready to export the car from the country.

Soh said Indomobil, a company controlled by Salim Group, is to assemble the car which was just launched in Jakarta last week.

[pedang]

Petronas engine to be made in China

By Jimmy Yeow


Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has tied up with two China-based companies for the production of Petronas' Formula One-originated EO1 engine for commercial use.

In a statement yesterday, Petronas said China's carmaker Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) and Brilliant Culture Group Ltd (BCG) had reached an agreement to jointly make the engine.

Petronas will be the technology provider and provide support through its research and development (R&D) centre in Malaysia. The parties are exploring the setting up of an engine R&D laboratory in China.

The agreement to embark on the project was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Nanning, China on Oct 30.

Petronas said the project was scheduled to take off in December with the production expected to start in 2009 with an annual capacity of 100,000 units.

NAC is a state-owned corporation and one of the largest automotive industrial enterprises in China. BCG is a consulting firm and will co-invest with NAC in the manufacturing facility.

Petronas, NAC and BCG signed a letter of intent in September last year to assess the use of Petronas EO1 engine technology for the carmaker’s vehicle line-up.

The E01 engine, a result of Petronas’ involvement in Formula One, is an aluminium gasoline engine family with a very compact design. It has two bores, two strokes and three displacements (1.8, 2.0L and 2.2L).

It is an in-line four-cylinder engine with 16 valves, DOHC (dual overhead camshaft) VVT (variable valve timing) and EMS (engine management system), and emission standard designed for Euro V.

[pedang]

Perodua to enter Indonesia by H2 next year

BY YEOW POOI LING

KUALA LUMPUR: Perusahaaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) expects to penetrate the Indonesian market by the second half of next year, said managing director Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar.

“We will enter with a model like Myvi. It is also timely since the Indonesian automotive market is expected to recover by the second half of next year,” he said, adding that the passenger car market in Indonesia had been affected by the increase in petrol prices over the past year.

Presently, the second national carmaker’s export markets include Britain, the Middle East, Nepal, Cyprus and Sri Lanka.

This year, it expects to export about 3,000 cars, which would increase to between 4,000 and 5,000 units next year.

“Our aim is to export 10,000 cars by 2008 or 2009,” he told reporters after launching Perodua’s Kenari RS yesterday.

The company will start exporting Kenari next year, Currently, it exports the Kelisa and Myvi but has stopped exporting the Kancil.

On the local front, Perodua expects to maintain its share of 32% to 33% of total industry volume (TIV) and 42% to 43% in the passenger car segment.

Production wise, capacity has reached 200,000 units and is estimated to increase to 240,000 units by the middle of next year and 250,000 units by end-2007.

Syed Hafiz said the company intended to launch “a full model change to replace what we presently have” next year.

While next year’s sales would still be driven by Myvi, the new model would also add to growth, he said, adding that Perodua could possibly launch more than one model next year.

Presently, Myvi sales make up almost half of the company’s turnover. Syed Hafiz expects slow car sales in the domestic auto sector to bottom out by the second quarter of next year.

On the Kenari RS, he said Perodua expected to sell about 390 units per month, which was about 30% of the 1,300 monthly registration of Kenari.

The latest variant of the Kenari would appeal to young working adults, especially those with “a strong and bold character,” said Perodua Manufacturing Sdn Bhd deputy general manager of product marketing department, Alias Abu Hassan.

[pedang]

Goverment considers having VW as Proton partner

BY YEOW POOI LING

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is considering whether to sell a stake in Proton to Volkswagen AG (VW), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“It’s just an option that we are considering at the moment. It all depends on detailed discussions,” he said yesterday, when asked to comment on market talk that the German company could be Proton’s partner.

The Government holds about 43% in Proton Holdings Bhd via national investment arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Negotiations between Proton and VW ended earlier this year after both VW and government parties disagreed on issues such as management control and majority shareholding.

At that juncture, Abdullah had said a majority stake in Proton would never be sold to foreigners as it was a national icon and the people’s property.

This time around, there might be an acceptable proposal as it would be modelled on the foreign partnership formed in the second national car project several years ago, sources said.

At that time, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) and its Japanese partner Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd teamed up such that Daihatsu led with a 51% stake in Perodua’s manufacturing division while Perodua held the majority interest in domestic distribution.

The proposal before the Government was for VW to similarly have 51% of Proton’s manufacturing division while Khazanah would retain its controlling stake in Proton Holdings, the sources said.

TA Securities said in a report yesterday that this latest proposal would be favourable for Proton, given that its manufacturing capacity was under-utilised at some 42% currently.

“VW, with its reputation as Europe’s largest carmaker and number two in the world, could bring some structural changes in Proton’s manufacturing plants,” the report said.

The research house said Proton’s plant in Tanjung Malim could be upgraded to produce four models at one time and its production capability boosted to one million cars annually.

TA believed VW was keen on growing its market share in Asia and Proton was the best partner for it in this region, it said, adding that the national carmaker still lacked economies of scale.

TA added that the selling of a stake in Proton could have some impact on its bottom line in the immediate term but this would be cushioned by increased volume in the long run.

Proton shares continued to attract investor interest, ending 30 sen, or 5.8% higher, at RM5.50, off its intra-day high of RM5.70 yesterday.

[pedang]

PSA expected to present bid for Proton next week

By Francis Fernandez
bt@nstp.com.my


November 18 2006


EXECUTIVES of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Europe's second biggest carmaker, is scheduled to meet top officials from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) next week to present their bid for Proton Holdings Bhd, sources said.

Business Times was told that the briefing will be held in Kuala Lumpur, and PSA has assembled a top team to brief senior officials from MOF, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the single largest shareholder in the carmaker with a 43 per cent stake and the management team of Proton.

PSA is believed to have brought forward the briefing, after news broke out that Volkswagen AG, Europe's biggest carmaker, was interested in taking a 51 per cent stake in Proton's manufacturing arm, in a deal valued at about RM2 billion.

The briefing will focus on technical specifics on how a tie-up between the French carmaker and the Government-owned national carmaker will benefit both parties. It will also include talks on the possible entry of PSA as a stakeholder in Proton's manufacturing unit.

In September, Proton and PSA signed a letter of intent to study possible cooperation between the two automobile manufacturers.

The study will focus on a number of diverse areas such as product development, manufacturing, quality initiatives, vendor development, contract assembly and distribution, the New Straits Times had reported.

The Government said this month that it is in talks with carmakers including Volkswagen AG, Europe's biggest carmaker and PSA about teaming up with Proton, to ensure the automaker's survival.

"We will do whatever it takes to make Proton viable and if, in the nature of things and in the context of the circumstances prevailing now, it's necessary to bring in a foreign partner, we'll bring a foreign partner," Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said on November 10.

He added that the Government will finalise plans for Proton in the next three months, but it has no preference for a local or foreign partner for Proton.

Thus far on the local front, only DRB-HICOM Bhd, the country's biggest integrated automotive company, said early this week that it is interested in buying a stake in Proton.

[pedang]

Naza group in talks to invest in Pakistan

By YENG AI CHUN

BUTTERWORTH: The Naza group is currently negotiating with “certain parties” on investing in Pakistan, said chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin.

“We need to be there (Pakistan) for two years before we can set up a plant.

“We're still at the lower end of talks,” he said yesterday after the launching of Naza Kia and Naza Kia Services 3S Juru branch and the latest entry-level Naza Kia product, Naza Suria.

Pakistan is one of 11 countries where Naza has appointed distributors for an earlier model, Naza Sutera.


Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin (left) with J.H. Moon posing with the Naza Suria at the newly launch branch.
On the setting up of an assembly plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Nasimuddin said the company was still negotiating with the government for better incentives.

“We hope to open the assembly plant by the first quarter next year,” he said.

On expansion plans, Nasimuddin said Naza was still working on listing the company on the Bursa main board.

The nationwide launch of Naza Suria was held at the biggest Naza Kia outlet in the state which has a built-up area of 7,000 sq ft.

The 1.1-litre automatic transmission Naza Suria is a result of Malaysian and Korean collaboration and is targeted at the younger age group segment.

Manufactured at Naza's plant in Gurun, it has been designed to seat five persons comfortably.

Also present at the launch was Kia Motors Corp regional office and Asia Pacific president J.H. Moon.

[haze]

Proton unveils A1 Team M'sia special edition Satria Neo

Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


Proton Holdings Bhd has unveiled the A1 Team Malaysia special edition Satria Neo that will be made available for sale next year.

The variant is to commemorate its second successive year in A1 Grand Prix racing. Proton sealed a sponsorship agreement in September that will see it continuing its support of the A1 Team Malaysia in the 2006-2007 season.

The car was unveiled by Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir and members of the A1 Team Malaysia ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian leg.

“Like many car manufacturers, Proton’s venture into motor-racing is with the objective of using it as a proving ground for our vehicles, engineering as well as technical capabilities.

"The introduction of special edition cars such as the one unveiled today makes motorsports an effective platform to associate a brand with high performance,” said Syed Zainal.

[haze]

Alado, Chery and Proton to start assembly mid-2007

By Isabelle Francis
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


Alado Corporation Sdn Bhd, China’s Chery Automobile Co Ltd and Proton Holdings Bhd are expected to embark on their car assembly programme in Malaysia by mid-2007.

Alado group executive chairman Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong said on Jan 15 that the parties had a car assembly programme on the drawing board and they expected to finalise the details in the next two months.

The thrust of the programme was to assemble Chery’s MPV B14 and SUV T11 models at Proton’s Shah Alam plant for distribution, he said.

However, issues that had to be resolved were on localisation, parts and the jig, welding and training, he told reporters after the opening of Alado’s Ampang branch in Kuala Lumpur.

Last December, Proton said the feasibility study for the programme was extended for the second time till February this year.

Soh said Alado, which distributes Chery cars in Malaysia, was targeting to sell 2,000 units of various models in 2007, with the launch of the two models.

He added that Chery was keen to make Malaysia its Southeast Asia distribution hub, in line with its target to achieve 200,000 units of sale in the region by 2010.

“Chery’s idea for Malaysia is to make it an assembly hub for the right hand-drive market," he said.

However, Soh said more “government incentives” should be offered to speed up Chery’s plan to set up a hub in the country.

[pedang]

Malaysia to host Asean's largest automation event

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The fourth series of the biennial Asean Industrial Automation (IA) 2007 exhibition and conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 18-21, 2007.

The event will be concurrently with Asean Elenex (AE) 2007 – the 7th Power Generation, Transmission and Electrical Engineering exhibition, which is themed “Bridge the Potential of the Power, Electrical & Automation Worlds at ASEAN’s leading Industry Shows.”

The events are organised by trade exhibition specialist, Malaysian Exhibition Services Sdn Bhd (MES). They are expecting 600 companies from 40 countries and over 15,000 trade visitors to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

MES general manager, Ian Roberts, said: “We are very pleased with the very encouraging response received to-date from leading names in the industry for IA 2007 and AE 2007.

"Some of the leading names in the industry that have confirmed their presence are ABB, Advantech, Areva, Emerson, Edex, FA Control, Festo, Harting, Igus, Indelsys, JJ- Lapp Cable, Kerpen, Metal Work, Phoenix Contacts, Platinum-MRE, RS Components, Siemens, Srita and Unique Industrial. National pavilions which will be participating are India, Singapore and South Korea.

[hetfield85]

Photos from http://paultan.org

2007 Proton Savvy Facelift



























2007 Proton Waja Facelift

[FK]

The Satria Neo looks cool .. !

[jlshyang]

Originally Posted by FahadKhan

The Satria Neo looks cool .. !

It's my favourite model from Proton too!

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by hetfield85

PROTON GEN-2 1.6

Always love GEN-2 Larrr!

[nazrey]

But Satria Neo is The best!