Sime Darby Auto ConneXion will be marking its second anniversary this weekend, with all three of its showrooms in Petaling Jaya organizing a “Birthday Carnival” on 3-4 April 2010 from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The three showrooms are the Ford showroom at Jalan 205, and the Land Rover and Alfa Romeo showrooms at Jalan 13/2.

Ford Focus TDCi

Free 20-point checks will be given to owners bringing their cars to the showrooms, while savings up to 80% are offered on a number of spare parts. Snacks and drinks will be served free-flow, with plenty of fun and games to keep the young ones occupied, while their parents take the latest Ford, Alfa or Land Rovers out for a test drive. Recommended picks for testing include the Ford Focus TDCi, Ford Mondeo and the Alfa MiTo.

Ford Mondeo

“Since taking over the brands, we have been able to introduce exciting new products more quickly and at very competitive prices, thanks to our close working relationship with the principals,” said Sime Darby Motors Executive Vice President, Dato’ Lawrence Lee.

Alfa MiTo

Official Press Release by Hyundai Sime-Darby Motors Sdn Bhd

A recent charity expedition by 20 employees of Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd (HSDM) brought cheers to 30 Semai families in Ulu Slim, Perak.

This was the first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity organized by HSDM for its employees. The group of 20 employees set out for Ulu Slim in five units of Santa Fe 2.2 Turbo Diesel in the morning and arrived at the Orang Asli settlement by noon.

Group Photo with Orang Asli Ulu Slim

The HSDM employees brought with them provisions of essential food items to cater to the needs of the 30 Semai families. Children at the Orang Asli settlement were then treated to finger food and snacks.

Dennis Ho, MD of HSDM presenting a goody bag to a family representative of Orang Asli Ulu Slim

While at Ulu Slim, employees of HSDM also took the opportunity to put the Santa Fe 2.2 Turbo Diesel to the test on an off-road terrain nearby, including hill climbing, river and bridge crossing as well as going down the slope.

The charity work, plus the test-drive session, was an enriching experience for the employees who found it to be fun and fulfilling. Based on the success of the first charity work, HSDM plans to organize more activities of a similar nature in future and especially for owners of Santa Fe.

Group Photo with the Santa Fe

Official Press Release from Sime Darby Auto ConneXion

Ford Motor Company, in partnership with local distributor Sime Darby Auto ConneXion Sdn Bhd (AutoConneXion), has donated RM51,000 to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (SOURC) near Sandakan, Sabah.

Mr Tom Dickin, South East Asia District Manager from Ford’s Export Division, officially presented the cheque to SOURC representative Dr Senthivel Nathan in a simple ceremony at the centre on 2 Dec 2009.

Representatives of Ford and SOURC at the cheque handover ceremony.

Accompanied by Ms Veemala Rethinasamy, Ford’s National Sales Manager for Malaysia and Mr Ling Ing Kyii, AutoConneXion Branch Manager for Sandakan, he later toured the facility.

“The Export division of Ford Motor Company recently took over responsibility for Malaysia and part of our focus is to support environmental and conservation projects in places where we do business,” said Mr Dickin.

He added, “Ford Grants is a major program for us globally, and we are delighted to contribute in a small way to the excellent work done here at Sepilok by Sylvia and her team. We are working closely with AutoConneXion to identify projects in other parts of Malaysia, which we can support in future.”

Ford Motor Company has been supporting environmental and conservation causes in South East Asia since 2002. Today, Ford Grants is one of the largest programs of its kind in the world. The program evolved from the Henry Ford European Conservation Awards established in Britain in 1983. Over the years, it has received more than 23,000 project submissions and involved more than 125,000 people and organizations in 60 countries throughout Europe, Central and South American, the Caribbean, Asia and the Middle East.

Via the Ford Export Asia Pacific regional office, which covers many export markets in South East Asia, the Ford Grants program has been operating in Laos (5 years) and Cambodia (7 years), supporting causes as diverse as the ordination of novice monks, traditional Khmer poetry and elephant conservation.

Aside from the Ford Grants program, Ford Motor Company actively supports environmental and conservation causes in other countries around the region with donations and special arrangements to purchase support vehicles.  Ford is also proud to actively support the work of Flora and Fauna International across the Asia Pacific region.

Since its launch in 2005, Hyundai has sold 20,000 units of the Getz hatchback in Malaysia. Commemorating this milestone, Hyundai Sime-Darby Motors Sdn Bhd has recently launched the limited Hyundai Getz SE(although the official pics show a car wearing Inokom’s badge). Only 300 units will be sold, in both manual and auto guise, and the privilege of owning one will set you back anywhere between RM61k and RM66k, depending on variant and location.

Hyundai Getz SE

Setting the Getz SE apart from its run-of-the-mill brethren are redesigned bumpers front and rear, side-mirror-integrated signals, and new 15″ alloys wrapped in Dunlop D01 rubber. The interior features leather trim, brushed aluminium finish, and is stamped with a serialized individual plate number (001 – 300). The Getz SE also features a new colour, called Icing White, featured in the official press photos issued to us by HSDM.

Interior

Powertrain options remain unchanged, with the 96hp 1.4-litre twin cam engine available to be paired with either a 5-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Other features of the Getz SE include driver’s airbag, and a Multi Information Display integrated to its trip computer.

Rear bumper gets diffuser, but don’t let sharp eyes spot the hidden exhaust!

The Getz SE will be available for viewing at all HSDM Showrooms nationwide starting September. OTR Prices for the Getz SE are as follows:

Peninsula

• Manual: RM60,984.00
• Auto: RM63,888.00

East Malaysia

• Manual :RM62,716.10
• Auto: RM66,277.00

Like all its models, HSDM offers the Getz SE with an industry-leading 5 years / 300,000km extended warranty that assures all customers of any unexpected repair or cost due to manufacturing defect.

Malaysian motorists can place their bookings at the nearest sales outlet or call HSDM’s Customer Careline at 1-300-13-2000 for more information.

KON

Sime Darby Auto ConneXion Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of Ford vehicles in Malaysia, is running a month long Hari Raya promotion for the new Ranger 4X4 pick-up from now till September 30, 2009. Every purchase of a Ford Ranger XL or XLT in Peninsular Malaysia now comes with free road tax for two years. For Sabah and Sarawak, the new Ranger comes with free one year’s road tax and insurance. For more information, please call Auto ConneXion Voice hotline at 1 800 88 3181 or visit www.ford.net.my .

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM SIME DARBY AUTO CONNEXION SDN BHD

Following consultation with Ford Motor Company, Sime Darby Auto ConneXion Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of Ford vehicles in Malaysia, would like to confirm that the following Ford models sold in Malaysia are compatible with the newly launched RON95 fuel

For more information, please call Auto ConneXion Voice hotline at 1 800 88 3181 or visit www.ford.net.my.

Discuss this topic in our forums here.

Hyundai’s mega-MPV facelifted for 2009

Space, the final frontier… and there’s plenty of it in the Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. It may not be the prettiest looking vehicle, but hey, eleven-seaters don’t come any better in terms of either pricing or equipment. Being priced in the region of RM150k, you’re paying RM13.5k per passenger space. For the money, few models offer the same carrying capacity, and fewer offer as much goodies. Even though this new facelifted version carries a price tag jacked up by a little more than RM10k, its value preposition remains hard to beat.

Central to the facelifting efforts put into the Royale version is a full bodykit for what Hyundai claims to be a ‘rebirth of the model in majestic proportions’. While we don’t fully buy into the marketing talk on the Grand Starex’s styling, there is no doubt that, size-wise, the Grand Starex is indeed of majestic proportions, measuring a massive 5.1 metres in length. Reversing a car of this size is not going to be funny, and recognizing that fact, Hyundai has equipped the Grand Starex Royale with a reverse camera in addition to four bumper mounted reverse sensors to help the driver out. Other useful features available on the Grand Starex Royale include side-mirror mounted LED signal lights, auto headlamps, and a rear windshield wiper added to the Starex’s equipment list for the first time.

Inside, Hyundai has also upgraded the ICE system with brand new Pioneer LCD touch screen DVD player HU linked to a 7″ LCD screen for movie viewing pleasure of all but the front row passengers. In addition, each row of seats gets not one, not two, but six fully adjustable ceiling-mounted air-con vents. Each passenger also gets his/her own air conditioning controls as well. It also goes without saying that the three rows of seats behind can be reconfigured in a multitude of ways, as SBY found in his test drive of the pre-facelift Starex last year.

Interior seats 11

Touchscreen HU connects to 7″ LCD screen.

No changes are made to the Grand Starex’s 168hp 2.5-litre CRDi powerplant. Armed with common-rail direct injection and a Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT), the Grand Starex produces its peak power at 3,800rpm, and its peak torque of 392Nm at between 2,000 and 2,500rpm. Paired with the engine is a 5-speed Shiftronic auto gearbox with sports mode. Suspension layout is independent all-round, with MacPherson struts in front and multi-links behind. According to Hyundai, all these combine to endow the Grand Starex Royale with ‘exhilarating dynamic driving’. We won’t exactly count on that, but we can be certain that a cruise in the Grand Starex along the north-south highway would be a comfortable one. Standard safety features packed into the Grand Starex Royale include crumple zones, ABS, disc brakes all-round, dual airbags, and seat belts for all 11 passengers.

Available in 4 different colours, Crystal White, Stone Black, Sleek Silver and Carbon Grey, the Grand Starex Royale is priced (OTR) at RM148,888.00 in the Peninsula and RM153,997.50 in East Malaysia. Like all Hyundai cars in Malaysia, the Grand Starex Royale comes with an industry-leading 5-year/300,000km warranty.

Malaysians can place bookings of the Grand Starex Royale at the nearest sales outlet or call Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors’ Customer Careline at 1-300-13-2000 for more information.

KON

See also:

Hyundai Starex – The new luxurious MPV in town

Gentle Korean Giant

The fourth Ford model launch of the year just took place last week, with the Everest joining the Ranger, Focus and Escape in the line-up. Based on the mechanicals of the Ford Ranger, the seven-seater Everest goes head-to-head with the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner both in terms of price and specifications.

Ford Everest

Two engine options are available, both of the renowned Ford DuraTorq TDCi common-rail turbodiesel family, one displacing 2.5-litres, another displacing 3.0. The 143PS 2.5-litre comes with the option of either 5-speed manual or 5-speed auto transmissions, whereas the 156 PS 3.0 comes only with a 5-speed auto. Both engines are offered with a drivetrain featuring electronic shift-on-the-fly between 2WD and 4WD mode.

Interior

Its mechanical relation with the Ranger shows with its styling too, as the front fascia bears more than a passing resemblance with the pickup. Its aggressive styling, however, is significantly toned down compared to the Ranger. The most aesthetically eye-catching items on the Everest would be the quartet of shining six-spoke rims.

Fully imported from Thailand, the first shipment of the Everest has already been snapped up by fleet customers. Signing on the order books now would see you getting your cars at September 2009 earliest, best case senario.

The new fully imported Ford Everest comes standard with a 3-year/100,000 km warranty, whichever comes first.  For more information, please call Auto ConneXion Voice hotline at 1-800-88-3181.

KON

Having rejuvenated Ford’s lineup in Malaysia, Sime Darby Auto ConneXion’s attempt at reviving the blue oval continues apace, with the simultaneous appointment of four 3S dealers throughout the country. In addition, the service centre in Section 13, Petaling Jaya now opens also on Saturday from 8:00am to 12:30pm, a move which seven other service centres would follow suit beginning July 2009.

Auto ConneXion’s outlet in PJ. Now open on Saturdays too.

Contact details for the four new 3S centres are as follows:

Parallel Champion Sdn Bhd,
118 Jalan Permaisuri Bainun off Jalan Kampar,
Ipoh, Perak (Tel: 05-2532193)

Semangat Anggun Auto Sdn Bhd,
32 Persiaran Raja Muda Musa Off Kampung Raja Uda,
Port Klang, Selangor (Tel: 03-31659868)

Seong Hoe Motors,
14 & 15 Jalan Sri Lanang,
Melaka (Tel: 06-2822422)

Trio Mantap,
2 Medan Midah Taman Midah,
Cheras (Tel: 03-91323366)
and
86 Jalan Tuanku Antah,
Seremban (Tel: 06-7629067).

AutoConneXion recently held an exclusive media preview of the new Ford Escape at Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Autoworld joined the scores of car magazines and media to check out Ford’s latest product for Malaysia.

Photography by Justin Ong. Words by TheGunner

Arriving at the scene.

Members of the media arrive.

The doors open. Our cameraman squares off against Ford’s.

All three colours of the new Escape.

The who’s who…

The bosses, the cars, the models: all lining up to be shot, by our cameras.

Mr Tom Dickins, SE Asia District Manager, Ford Export Operations.

Mr Rajan Thurairatnam, Managing Director, Sime Darby Auto ConneXion.

Tom Dickins showing us how far a car can travel in one-third of a second driving at 105kph.

Autoworld editors past and present side-by-side: Chips & YS

Now, onto the car…

Brother Chips capturing the interior…

Three chromed-bars dominate frontal styling. Bumper gets trace of Kinetic styling with inverted trapezoidal grille.

Signal lamps complements Land Rover-like vent at the edge of the fender.

2.3-litre Duratec engine carried over from outgoing Escape.

Dashboard featuring integrated audio HU. Vertically shaped vents carried over from previous model.

Steering wheel looks wooden and dated. I hope it doesn’t feel that way too!

Instrument panel design has speedo overlapping into the tachometer’s area like its predecessor.

Rear seats fold flat. Resulting space is big enough even for you to take a nap.

Upclose with the models.

Related Links

Autoworld Emzine: Auto Connexion Launches New Ford Escape SUV – by YS Khong (11/6/2009)

Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Launched: Ford Escape 2.3 XLT [UPDATED] – by TheGunner (11/6/2009)