You should not be able to see this scene during your way to work for those who travel using NKVE, NSE or FHR2 soon. Next Monday onwards ( August 2) our government has banned all heavy vehicle from using few of the busy stretches of the highways from morning 6.30am to 9.30am. This is said to ease the traffic congestion, as it was claimed that slow movement of this heavy vehicles such as truck, heavy duty lorry is one of the main factor that cause traffic congestion.

To be specific, Heavy vehicles either laden and unladen as long as weight 10 ton and above will not be banned using the routes involved. Which are, from the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) between Shah Alam and Jalan Duta, the North South Expressway (NSE) between Sungai Buloh and Bukit Lanjan and Federal Highway Route 2 (FHR2) between Subang and Sg Rasau.

If the lorry driver is travelling half way as they enter the 3 hours banned (6.30-9.30am), those drivers will need to pull over at the rest area to wait 3 hours before continuing their journey, else just use an alternative router. Pity those lorry drivers.

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This version in the photo of the facelifted Toyota Corolla Altis is classified as a 2.0 V spec. As we can see the headlights are with black background to create the smoked head lamp effect (like the TRD Sportivo Altis we reported earlier) and the center grille are with 1 black spoke bar across. The bumpers design are similar to the one’s on the facelifted Toyota Camry.

The Toyota Corolla Altis Facelift 2010 2.0L V spec from Thailand will feature a full bodykit with a 5 spoke sport rim.

From the rear of the facelifted Toyota Corolla V spec, it looks like the V Spec has a different rear bumper compare to the standard spec. The rear lights are partial transparent which remind me of the Camry Hybrid rear lights. A rear spoiler with 3rd brake light is included as well.

We are not too sure whether UMW Toyota will get this version in but looking at trend today, it would be a good idea to bring in a much better looking, sporty Corolla Altis. Check out a few more pictures below for the standard G-spec Toyota Corolla Altis Facelift 2010.

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All 25 unit of this anniversary edition of Exora is painted with Pearl White colour, only exclusive for these units. The front of Exora is painted with black from the middle grille down towards the bumper. The headlights are fitted with black painted parts and fitted with the same bodykit and chrome finish on the fog light similar to the New Exora we reported earlier, the Exora definitely looks more sporty. The rims of the 25th Anniversary Edition Exora are different as well.

Inspired by a tiger as what Proton logo represents too, the Exora is fitted with a tiger striped line sticker from front to back, ending with Proton’s 25 anniversary graphic. The rear cover is also painted with black. The roof of this Exora is  painted black  from front until the rear spoiler. Above the rear car number plate is a hidden reverse camera, which is viewable from the front center console.

Inside, Proton gave the 25th Anniversary Exora an upgrade to a luxury class MPV feel. The standard audio console has been replaced with touch screen LCD which will show the reverse camera, GPS, and videos from USB or your CD/DVD. We immediately notice the brown leather seats and interior which are fitted on it. The quality of the leather seats are premium class, similar to those in BMW or Mercedes Benz. The middle row has been replace with 2 individual seats for better comfort. Two LCD are mounted behind the headrest – one on the front passenger seat and one of the front driver seat. The Two LCD will gave the rear passengers personalised entertainment.

The 25th Anniversary of Proton logo are everywhere on this special edition of Exora. There’s one emblem on the rear cover, even the car plate frame it’s also printed with it the 25th Anniversary wordings. Inside, the leather seats are embossed with 25 years logo on the headrest. The car mats of the Exora are also specially made with an emblem of the 25th Anniversary of Proton Logo. With all these extra and premiums and the limits units, you will need about RM15,000 more than a standard high line Proton Exora – which totals to RM91,998 with insurance. If you really like this limited edition Proton Exora, we suggest you to head to Proton Centre of Excellence showroom along KESAS highway soon as they are already starting to accept bookings for this.

Enjoy the gallery below for Proton Exora 25th Anniversary joint by 2 other Proton Models.

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While the Hyundai Sonata targets a more executive/business class buyers, the Hyundai Avante 2011 targets the younger generation thus, the design and curves are more daring. The center console curves with shapes of the “fluidic sculpture” concept from the automaker. As understand with complexity of curves and design higher cost will occur, we hope Hyundai does not sacrifice the quality of material used in the interior of the upcoming Avante as we notice in the Hyundai Sonata 2011.

Also, a video of Hyundai Avante  in action was recorded and posted online. The Hyundai Avante was spotted doing some parking practice (not sure if they are testing their reverse camera and  etc). From the video we can see the Hyundai Avante has grown in size and more aerodynamically looking, again following their “fluidic” design cues.

In our opinion, the Hyundai Avante looks better than it’s elder brother – Hyundai Sonata. With the new Hyundai 1.6 liter produces a 138hp, this could mean that it will give it’s Korean cousin – Kia Forte and the Japanese rivals such as Honda Civic, Mazda 3 Sport, Toyota Corolla Altis some tough competition. The current Hyundai Avante 2.0L is selling for RM95,301.80 without insurance.  Following an increase of the Hyundai Sonata, with a similar spec ( meaning a new 2.0L Avante) we would expect an increase of the price.

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The first impression we saw for this New Exora as compare to the previous, would be the bodykit. The Medium and High Line Exora will be equipped with this full bodykit as standard. The High Line Exora continues to benefit most in this upgrade where it’s get the chrome finish on the fog lamps.

The better designed 10 spokes 15″ rim, is fitted into all variant of Proton Exora. The Exora Base-Line drivers will have to drive better as the Base-Line does not have ABS & EBD, also does not equipped with reverse sensor for such as big car. Baseline Exora only has 1 air bag driver where as others have two (1 for driver and 1 for front passenger)

The New Proton Exora features new interior colour theme on the steering wheel finish and the inner door handle finish. As usual, the leathers seats only available in High Line version. The High Line Exora, will get a new center panel and a chrome finish on the gear lever. The audio system will have CD and MP3/WMA along with bluetooth. Only the baseline Exora has taken out the bluetooth capabilities and steering audio controls.

On top of that, the High Line Proton Exora will also get additional features such as, door visor, rear spoiler, front seat armrest, cruise control, DVD/LCD monitor for rear passengers, portable navigation system and tinted glass. The additional accessories, Medium Line and High Line Proton Exora will get are the boot organizer and multipurpose container.

The colour shown here is the new Plum Red Colour, other available colours as option are Genetic Silver, Solid White, Tranquility Black and Blue Haze.  The Blue and Red are not available for Base-Line. No horse power increase to the Exora, it is the same 1.6 liter Campro CPS engine produces 125bhp and 150Nm in the previous Exora. The additional price you’re paying for these upgrades on Proton Exora is RM1000, which in our opinion – it is worth it, just by taking the bodykit into count. As a reminder, the Proton Exora comes with 5-years or 175,000 km of warranty.

The New Proton Exora are priced with insurance are,

Exora B-Line (Manual)  – RM58,998
Exora M-Line (Manual) – RM65,998
Exora M-Line (Automatic) – RM70,998
Exora H-Line (Automatic) – RM76,998

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The Malaysia government has officially announce that the fuel price will be increase. The Normal RON 95 petrol will be priced at RM1.85 as of Friday. Which means you have time to save 5 cent per liter until 11.59pm tonight.

If you’re pumping the RON 97 fuel, there will be no more subsidy when the clock strikes 12am later. The RON 97 price will be float and to be determined by an automatic price mechanism. As for Diesel , you will be paying RM1.75 per liter.

As summary the new prices are as below,

* RON95 – RM1.85 increased of RM0.05
* RON97 – FLOAT which means RM2.10 or more – an increase of RM0.05 or more
* Diesel – RM1.75 increased of RM0.05
* LPG Natural Gas – RM1.85 per kg – increased of RM0.10

Other item increased are,

Sugar – RM1.75 per kg – increased of RM0.25

This move by our government is part of the “gradual subsidy rationalisation programme” which means there will be a day there wouldn’t be any more subsidy. It is said that the act will strengthen the financial position of country. So let us held our hands to our wallet and pay more to the government. Let us know your comments below. By the way, i suggest you rush to your nearest petrol station to fill in your last RM1.80 Ron95 or the still subsidised Ron97 right now. A 40 litre fill in will saved you RM2.00.

The full press statement from the Prime Minister’s office are as below:

1. To help Malaysia maintain the strong growth it has achieved, the Government has implemented difficult but long-needed economic reforms that will help Malaysia become a developed and high-income nation. In this regard, the Government has begun a planned and fair reform of a subsidy regime that for too long has been ineffective in helping those who need it most and, over time, has become a barrier to Malaysia’s progress.

2. The Government has made bold economic decisions over the past two years. Two stimulus packages were introduced, promoting growth, even as the global financial crisis spread. Important sectors of our economy further liberalised were opened to new investment.

The Government cut spending by RM24 billion, by reducing waste and inefficiency. As a result, the country’s economy has been reinvigorated, with 10.1% growth in the first quarter of 2010, Malaysia’s best performance in a decade. Although there is still instability in the global economy, Malaysia is well positioned for the future – not by chance, but by the choices we have made together.

3. As set out by the Prime Minister when he announced the 10th Malaysia Plan, Malaysia’s national goals cannot be achieved by simply managing through a crisis. Malaysia’s ambition is to be a high-income nation, with opportunity for all.

4. In the New Economic Model, the Prime Minister set out plans for further investment in key strategic sectors, upgrading our infrastructure, creating additional private sector investment opportunities and realizing higher levels of GDP growth.

However, growth alone will not allow us to meet our goals. As the Government has consistently said over recent months, we must also implement subsidy reforms that will remove distortions in the marketplace and enable us to better target our resources on those most in need, and on investments that will provide lasting benefits for Malaysians.

5. With these priorities in mind, the Cabinet has decided that, effective 16 July 2010, subsidies for fuel, specifically petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), as well as sugar, will be reduced as the first step of a gradual subsidy rationalisation programme.

Subsidies for RON 95 and diesel will be reduced by 5 sen per liter. LPG will be reduced by 10 sen per kilogram. RON 97 will no longer be subsidised. It will be subjected to a managed float, where the price will be determined by the automatic pricing mechanism. For sugar, the upward price adjustment will be 25 sen per kilogram. The details of these changes are now available on the PMO and PEMANDU websites, at: www.pmo.gov.my and www.pemandu.gov.my

6. These minimal changes will help Malaysia achieve a position of fiscal responsibility and put us on a path toward reducing our deficit. To meet these objectives, we have chosen to make adjustments to our subsidies. Even after these changes, the Government will still spend an estimated RM 7.82 billion on fuel and sugar subsidies in 2010. The prices of fuel and sugar in Malaysia will still be among the lowest in the region.

7. This subsidy rationalisation will, according to estimates, allow Malaysia to reduce Government expenditure by more than RM 750 million in 2010.

8. The decision to reduce subsidies for fuel and sugar is based on the fact that reducing fuel subsidies will have the greatest impact on government spending and reducing sugar subsidies will allow us to promote healthier lifestyles. The decision is also grounded on three main concerns:

a. First, these subsidies also benefit foreigners and wealthier Malaysians, who can well afford to pay unsubsidised prices. Our focus should be on helping the family sharing a motorcycle or Kancil to get to work and school, but instead our spending on subsidies has provided the same benefits to those driving imported luxury cars.

The sugar subsidy disproportionately benefits industries, not families. Businesses have been using almost twice as much subsidised sugar as Malaysian households.

b. Second, highly subsidised prices often lead to illegal smuggling of these goods. Because subsidies make these products the cheapest in the region, in 2009 alone smugglers were caught heading out of Malaysia with more than 200 metric tonnes of sugar to be sold across borders.

Also, subsidised diesel continues to go to the black market or across our borders, instead of to those we meant to assist. Law enforcement have been doing their best to prevent smuggling, with 109 sugar related arrests last year. This is the tip of the iceberg. As long as there are big price differences, smuggling will continue. And:

c. Third, unless we reduce our consumption of fuel and sugar, we face potentially serious consequences as a nation. We are quickly depleting our domestic fuel resources. It is vital that we rationalise our fuel use – as well as develop new energy technologies – as a matter of economic, energy and national security.

In this regard, we have implemented a number of policies to protect the environment. We must also reduce our sugar consumption. 40 percent of Malaysians are now either overweight or obese.

Incidents of diabetes are rising quickly. Statistics show that the percentage of Malaysians with diabetes now exceeds that in the United States. We must, as a matter of urgency, take every step available to tackle what is clearly a public health issue for our nation. Reducing sugar consumption, among our children in particular, is a step in the right direction.

9. These are among the reasons why the Government has chosen to focus on sugar and fuel subsidies. Subsidies for education and health care will continue. These are areas of importance for our economy and our society where the Government should be investing.

These include, providing support to develop skills, training the knowledge based workforce of the future and improving the well-being of the nation.

10. The Government arrived at this decision following robust consultations with the people. Thousands of Malaysians participated in the policy labs, Open Day and an unprecedented public feedback process.

As with subsidy reform, the budget, the Government Transformation Program and now the National Key Economic Areas, the Government has made a determined effort to engage the public, listen and learn, and then act in the best interest of the nation.

11. These measures are designed to have a minimal impact on individual families, but long-term benefits for the nation. The reduction in expenditure from these reforms will allow us to better use resources for families, communities and business growth.

Measures such as the 1Malaysia clinics, the 1Malaysia mobile clinics, as well as the scholarships for all 9A+ and deserving students, specifically those who have done well, but come from lower income families, are made possible by such reforms.

Similarly, by reducing expenditure on subsidies we will be able to continue strengthening such initiatives as the price standardisation project, which seeks to harmonise prices of essential goods between urban and rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

12. The Government has made a difficult, but bold decision. By choosing to implement these modest subsidy reforms, we have taken a crucial step in the right direction towards meeting our commitment to reduce the fiscal deficit, without overburdening the Malaysian people.

These measures are a demonstration of our fiscal responsibility. They will enhance Malaysia’s financial stability, while also protecting the Rakyat.

Prime Minister’s Office
Putrajaya
15 July 2010

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The Peugeot 508 has move away from the old design styling, the new Peugeot 508 has a narrower & less wide grille. The Peugeot logo is attach on the bonnet and the Peugeot name is written top of the grille. The Air intake is is behind the grille area. Following the trend of LED lights, the New 508 has LED lights below the above the fog lights.The photo here is the top of the spec Peugeot 508 GT which will have larger rims and some of the chrome finishes. As mentioned, the Price range will be around the Peugeot 407 price.

The rear of the vehicle is fitted a new styling of rear lights and a integrate dual-exhaust with the bumper. The engine could range from the 1.6-Litre petrol turbo engine which Peugeot has or the 2.0-Litre HDI diesel engine capable to push 163bhp. There will be automatic gearbox or a 6 speed manual gearbox variant. Peugeot will also introduce a new HYbrid4 variant to the Peugeot 508. The HYbrid4 module will combine the power of the 2.0 litre HDI engine with a 37bhp electric motor. This will make the 508 to a 200bhp car and at the same time it’s greener with much lesser CO2 produced.

The interior of the Peugeot 508, will have some “high-tech” feature and it looks solid and visually high quality. The interior of the 508 does remind us of the BMW styled interior. The will be a estate version which is the Peugeot 508 SW for buyers to choose from. The Peugeot 508 will be built in French first but there could be a possibility Naza would CKD or SKD the Peugeot 508 in Malaysia. More information of this car will be available in October during the Paris Motor Show.

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Although the Volvo V60 430L boot space is smaller than BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant, Volvo claims that the V60 is design target to more sporty audiences. If space is in need at times, the rear seats of the V60 has a useful 40/20/40-split, and the front passenger seat are able to be folded flat.

The Volvo V60 are comparable to the S60. There will be 2 chassis set ups as option, one as the standard Europe dynamic type, the other is the touring chassis. With the touring version has a more softer thus a more comfortable ride. All Volvo V60 can also have an option to include the FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active chassis to be included. There will be also All wheel drive  variants.

Like the Volvo S60, there will be a number of engine variant available as listed below. With the top of the range 304HP 3.0 Liter turbo engine, it will take the new Volvo V60 from 0-100km/h in just 6.6 seconds.

The new Volvo V60 will also include a safety feature as Advanced Stability Control and new Corner transaction control. The Volvo V50 2.0 is selling for RM185,950.00 . We would expect the with the similar horses of V60 goes over somewhere RM200k if it does comes into Malaysia market. The Volvo V60 will be it’s world official appearance in Paris Motor Show in 30th September with more details.

Enjoy the New Volvo V60 Rocking Commercial and Gallery below.

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If you love the Ferrari F430 and yet thinks that the Lamborghini Murcielago  LP670-4 SV styling is pretty cool, wondering if you can get best of both worlds? Yes, now you can. A Japanese tuning house – “Auto Veloce” has fitted the more tamed Ferrari F430 compare to a Lamborghini Murcielago a Super Veloce styling treatment. The tuning house called their tuned version of F430 as Ferrari F430 Super Veloce Racing. As you can see, the Ferrari F430 has given the front air dam, quater panel intakes and the rear gt wing like the Lamborghini Murcielago  LP670-4 SV . The Super Veloce styling is also available for Ferrari F430 Berlinetta and F430 Spider. You may order from Auto Veloce Japan you’re interested.  Nevertheless, i would still pick the Lamborghini Murcielago  LP670-4 Super Veloce over theses.

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Nissan have not release any further details for the new Nissan Quest but rumours said that the minivan will equipped with sliding door  and there will be a variant of 3.7Liter V6 engine.

The interior is the new Nissan Quest does not surprise us, the designs are simple but we hope for more refinement and quality built. Nissan will go direct compete with Honda Odyssey and Mazda 8. The new Nissan Quest will be available on sale in US first quarter of 2011.

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