Naza Quest Sdn Bhd (formerly Pavilion Crest Sdn Bhd) is now offering all Chevrolet owners in Malaysia a 24 hour/7day Chevy Assist program for hassle-free emergency Roadside Assistance and general inquiries.

Membership is open to all Chevrolet owners, even those who bought their vehicles under the stewardship of previous distributors. Terms and conditions of the programme are as follows:

Membership
You are automatically a member of our Chevy Assist program when you purchase Chevrolet vehicle AND the vehicle is insured under one of our panel of insurers below:
• Lonpac Insurance Bhd
• AmG Insurance Berhad

The membership period is for ONE year only. Subsequent insurance* renewals with our panel insurers will renew the membership automatically without any renewal charges.

Alternatively, Chevrolet owners may opt to purchase or renew membership by paying the annual fees of RM 15.

*Insurance renewal with our panel insurers must be made at our authorised dealers to enjoy the free annual membership.

Chevy Assist Membership Benefits
In case of emergency due to breakdown or accident, the following benefits will be enjoyed by Members:-
• 24-hour breakdown assistance
• Free towing worth of RM 300
• Free minor on the spot repairs; covering jump starting, tyre changing and refueling arrangement

For members who are insuring their vehicle with our panel insurers, they will enjoy:
• Waive of “Betterment structure on parts replaced during accident repair for up to 7-year old vehicles
• Assurance of genuine Chevrolet parts replacement from Chevrolet authorized repairers
• Assurance to tow accident vehicles to nearest Chevrolet authorized repairers when members call our toll free number

Other benefits of being a Chevy Assist member include:
• Traffic and telematic information for members who are requesting for a traffic congestion info through SMS update
• Weather forecast information through SMS update
• Flight booking arrangement
• Hotel reservation or accommodation arrangement
• Home assistance (arrangement for locksmith, plumbing and house related)

The Mercedes-Benz CLS is an ingenious piece of marketing work. Recycling the tried and tested mechanicals from the E-Class, Mercedes wrapped an all-new body around it, reduced seating capacity to four, and sold it more expensively too. Mercedes calls it a four-door coupe, and now everyone is following suit. Why? Because it sells.

The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLS

Some 170,000 units of the outgoing model found buyers worldwide, making it a considerable success. Remember, this car is a glorified E-Class with a substantially bigger price tag. Now, six years on the road, a replacement is due, and we’ll be seeing it debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year.

No details released yet, only pictures.

No details have been released yet, but Mercedes has published pictures of the new model on its global media site. Considering the outgoing model’s popularity, Mercedes saw it fit to maintain a high order of resemblance with the new one. The overall silhouette is unchanged, and you would be forgiven for thinking this is a facelift rather than an all-new model. The most notable change from the outgoing model is the SLS-inspired front end which features the large three-pointed star which characterizes Mercedes coupes.

Cabin is noticeably sportier than the E-Class

Just as the outgoing model was based on the W211 E-Class, the replacement is developed on the same platform as the current generation W212 E-Class. As such, we would expect to see similar engine options as the higher end E-Class models. As far as Europe is concerned, our bets are on there being a CLS 350 CGI, CLS 350 CDI, and CLS 500 to kick-start matters. Bringing those engines into Malaysia would be quite a problem.

It’s still a four-seater

KON

See also:
- Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> W212 Mercedes-Benz E-class – by TheGunner (22/2/2009)
-Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Mercedes follows up E-class sedan with Coupe – by TheGunner (5/3/2009)

In conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd is offering a ‘Special Hari Raya Service Promotion’ for all Hyundai owners in Malaysia.

During the promotion period, which lasts from 20 Aug to 9 Sept 2010 customers can enjoy:
- up to 20% discounts on selected parts
- 10-15% discount on labour depending on amount spent on parts purchase
- free mystery gifts

Hyundai i30

In conjunction with the upcoming Raya festive period, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia is offering the following offers and promotions for potential customers in period from 23 Aug to 30 Sept 2010:

- Cash bonus up to RM3,000 for all customers who book and register any Mitsubishi model during the promotion period. The actual bonus value, however, would vary between models.

- Free Mitsubishi jacket for booking and registering of any Mitsubishi model

- Two-Year Free Maintenance package for all models bought during the promotional period except for the Triton Lite. The package provides free maintenance parts and labour costs for owners. Parts covered by the package include Engine Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter, Air Cleaner, Brake Fluid, Coolant, Differential Oil and Transmission Oil (based on recommended scheduled service intervals).

- Free Mitsubishi merchandise for customers who test drive any Mitsubishi model during the period. While stocks last, of course.

- 20% discount on selected spare parts at Mitsubishi service centres. Free golf umbrella for Mitsubishi owners.

Givi Asia, named the Best Brand in Motorcycle Accessories at the recent BrandLaureate Awards 2009/2010, now has a total of 1 million of its Givi boxes on Malaysian roads. To celebrate the milestone, the company is organizing what it calls the 1 Million GIVI-ng Away campaign taking place from 15 Aug to 30 Oct 2010.

Coinciding with the nation’s 53rd anniversary of independence, Givi will be selling limited edition Merdeka-themed boxes. During the campaign period, Givi will be placing gifts inside each and every box sold. In one box there will be a ticket to a brand new Kawaski ER-6f motorcycle finished complete with Givi accessories awaiting the lucky customer.

In addition, customers looking to win more can try their hands on the GIVI – complete the slogan contest. Participation is open to all who purchase an E26NX, E26X or E30 box for a shot at Givi product vouchers worth RM1,000, RM800 or RM500.

KON

Official Press Release from Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd

KUALA LUMPUR (6 August 2010) – Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) will continue to offer special low interest hire purchase packages for purchasers of the Nissan Sylphy, Grand Livina, Sentra, X-Trail and Serena (for private registration only, valid for Peninsular and East Malaysia). The details of these special low interest hire purchase packages are:

The special interest rates are offered by TC Capital Resources (TCCR). For the Sylphy and Grand Livina models, the special interest rates are also offered by its participating panel of financiers. This promotion is valid from 1 August 2010 till 31st August 2010.

Last week, the Continental Automotive Group launched what it calls the Novanto telematics box, an inconspicuous-looking electronic unit equipped with a satellite tracking system that allows any vehicle installed with it to be tracked and disabled anywhere in the world.

Vehicle tracking by satellite is nothing new these days, though Continental’s unit moves the game on by allowing for remote disabling of the said vehicle by police and also allowing fleet managers to keep track on their vehicles. The system can be installed as an aftermarket item by owners, or integrated into the vehicle by the manufacturer as a factory-fitted item.

Inside the Novanto telematics box is a GPS receiver which allows for exact tracking of the vehicles position by satellite anywhere in the world. The system is connected to a GSM module, which transmits the vehicle’s position based on data provided by the GPS unit to a central command centre by means of a coded cellular radio connection. The radio signal can be triggered by a variety of means based on applications, and fleet operators can even be provided with the ability to request for the vehicle’s location whenever required.

In the case of a stolen vehicle, the police or the appointed vehicle tracking company can monitor the vehicle’s position and coordinate a pursuit, with the option of remotely disabling the car. A built-in immobilizer then prevents the car from being started again.

Another possibility for this system is to allow insurance companies to revise their methods of calculating insurance premiums. Because the Novanto unit logs the driving habits of its drivers, insurance companies can reward lower-risk drivers with reduced premiums. That’s not exactly good news if you’re in the habit of driving fast, is it?.

Continental’s Novanto vehicle tracking system allows worldwide monitoring of your car’s movements.

KON

In conjunction with the month of Ramadhan, Naza World showrooms nationwide will be holding a three-day promotion from 6 to 8 Aug 2010. Special offers are on the table, and highlighted cars include the Aston Martin DBS, Mercedes-Benz CLC and Ford Focus RS.

Naza Group of Companies Joint Group Executive Chairman Dato’ Hj SM Faisal Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin has also pledged to donate to charity RM500 of his own money to five charitable causes, for each car sold during this auspicious month.

In a grand ceremony held at, of all places, Munich, Audi has launched the all new five-door A7 Sportback which in Audi’s own words, ‘brings about the best of three worlds (ed: our emphasis): the sporty elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan, and a practicality of a station wagon.’ Three quattro variants are being offered at launch time, with a fourth front-wheel drive variant to follow at a later date. All variants draw power from V6 engines in either petrol or diesel guise.

Audi currently has the A5 Sportback in its range, but the only natural rival that we see for the A7 Sportback is the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. Though the 5 GT is some 139mm taller than the A7 Sportback, the two cars occupy similarly sized footprints. On a parking lot, the BMW would occupy some 4,998mm × 1,901mm of floorspace, in comparison to the 4,970mm × 1,910mm taken up by the Audi.

Styling-wise, the A7 Sportback is an almost faithful recreation of design cues showcased 18 months ago at the Detroit Auto Show by the Audi Sportback Concept. We don’t know if this is particularly important, but Audi found it necessary to highlight that the ratio of painted body surfaces to frameless windows is 2:1.

There is a strong design touch in the form of a sharp shoulder line (Audi calls it the tornado line) which runs almost entirely along its flanks. The rear lights, with the exception of the reverse lights, are all-LED. Audi, as you would expect, called it a whole bunch of things in its press release, though to us, it immediately reminded us of the Dodge Viper.

Three engine options are offered at launch time – two petrol and one diesel – all paired with the 7-speed S-tronic transmission and Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system. Options for petrol power start with a 2.8-litre FSI motor producing out 204hp @ 5,250rpm and 280Nm @ 3,000 – 5,000rpm. This version of the A7 Sportback  does the century sprint in 8.3 seconds before maxing out at 235kph.

The bigger petrol motor, the 3.0-litre TFSI, has a more interesting landscape across its rev range. At 2,900rpm comes its 440Nm of peak torque, which does not diminish until 4,500rpm. Come 5,250rpm, the full 300 horses of this engine make their appearance before disbanding at 6,500rpm. Max speed is capped at 250kph, with 100kph just 5.6 seconds away from standstill.

More impressive is the diesel-powered 3.0 TDI, which produces 245hp @ 4,000 – 4,500rpm and twists out 500Nm from 1,400 to 3,250rpm. It’s a little slower compared to the 3.0 TFSI in the century sprint, but counters with an impressive 6.0 litres/100km rated fuel consumption, compared 8.2 l/100km managed by the TFSI.

At a later date, the 3.0 TDI will be offered in a 204hp state of tune and a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powertrain format. The front-wheel drive variant, with Audi’s Multitronic CVT, twists out 400Nm from 1,250 to 3,500rpm. The quattro variant gets an additional 50Nm of peak torque served in the same rev range.

We can’t tell from pictures alone if the A7’s cabin build quality is as per Audi’s usual tank-like solidness, but we won’t bet against it. The pictured dashboard features generous trimmings of wood, though buyers have to option of choosing between two aluminium and two wood trims. Leather upholstery is also provided with the choice of Milano, Valcona or a leather/Alcantara option.

From above the central air-con vent, and that must have been quite a neat piece of engineering, pops up an LCD screen for the standard MMI multimedia unit. In addition to the standard MMI, Audi offers a further three optional MMI packages, namely MMI radio plus, MMI navigation, and MMI navigation plus, the last of those options offering an 8-inch touchscreen monitor in place of the standard 6.5-inch unit.

Like the all-new A8, the A7 also provides unprecedented levels of onboard internet connectivity, courtesy of a collaboration between Audi and Google. Connected via the owner’s own mobile phone by Bluetooth, the A7 Sportback is able to pull out navigational data and images from Google Earth and integrate into its own on-board navigation system, amongst other functions.

Deliveries of the A7 Sportback commences in Autumn 2010, with Coupe and Cabriolet versions to follow next year. Prices of the A7 Sportback starts at €51,650

KON

Pictures: Official Audi release

The BMW Welt (or BMW World in English) is a huge facility in Munich built by the BMW Group as a product exhibition centre and also a glorified delivery bay for BMW cars. Customers opting to collect their new BMWs at the Welt are said to be treated to a very special experience that includes an exclusive tour of the Welt’s facilities and exhibitions.

Recently, the Welt delivered its first classic BMW, a 1972 3.0 CSi to an unnamed customer. It was the first completed project from the recently established BMW Classic Center that specializes in the restoration of classic BMWs.

The Welt delivers its first classic BMW

“The successful restoration of the BMW 3.0 CSi shows that we are on the right track and that, together with our partners within the BMW Group network of facilities, we are capable of restoring vehicles to the highest quality standards and to individual customer specifications,” said Ralf Vierlein, Head of Sales and Aftersales at BMW Group Classic.

An additional challenge “The successful restoration of the BMW 3.0 CSi shows that we are on the right track and that, together with our partners within the BMW Group network of facilities, we are capable of restoring vehicles to the highest quality standards and to individual customer specifications,” said Ralf Vierlein, Head of Sales and Aftersales at BMW Group Classic.

Customer was all smiles when collecting his car.

Restoration work performed to the car included repairs to substantial levels of body damage and a complete refurbishment of its interior. Technical and electronic defects acquired over the car’s lifespan were also painstakingly addressed and repaired. An additional challenge was thrown in by the owner who had requested for the car to be converted from it’s original 4-speed manual transmission to an automatic gearbox.

Plowing through materials from the BMW Group Archives, the BMW Classic Center engineers came up with the solution to fit an automatic transmission sourced from the BMW 2.8 CS – a task which consumed months of research and labour.

According to a statement in BMW Classic’s official website, future BMW Classic customers can also opt to have their restored BMWs handed over to them at the BMW Welt and experience the same handover process as per new BMW owners.

Classic BMWs can now be delivered alongside new ones.

KON