Top auto news of the week: 2023 Maserati Grecale GT launched, Tesla arrival confirmed, New Mitsubishi 4S centre opened, and much more

The past week was quite exciting for electric vehicle enthusiasts as the official confirmation of Tesla cars’ arrival in the country finally arrived. It was followed by the launch of the luxurious Italian SUV, the Grecale GT. In the meantime, the international automotive arena also witnessed a few big launches and received some exciting scoops on the upcoming models. In case you missed out on any of that, fret not, we've got you covered in our weekly wrap.

2023 Maserati Grecale GT launched: Maserati has finally launched its second SUV model in Malaysia, called the Grecale GT. Rivalling the likes of the Porsche Macan, the Maserati Grecale is priced at RM 598,000 (including local duties and taxes, excluding on-the-road fees, and insurance). It is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that kicks out a maximum power of 300 PS at 5,750 rpm and a peak torque of 450 Nm from 2,000 to 4,000 rpm. 

Malaysia welcomes Tesla: MITI has approved Tesla’s application to import pure electric vehicles into Malaysia, confirmed Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz via a social media post. The American EV giant will set up its shop, Tesla Experience & Service Centres, and Supercharger network in the country and will be creating skilled & better paying jobs for local talent.

New Mitsubishi 4S centre opens in Sarawak: In association with its authorised dealer Auto Pacifica Sdn Bhd, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has opened a new 4S centre in Sarawak. The two-story shop lot has a built-up space of 10,000 square feet and incorporates a showroom area, five service bays, a comfortable customer lounge with WIFI and a kid’s corner. Also available at the showroom are insurance renewals and vehicle trade-in services.

Honda X-ADV 750 gets a colour update: Honda’s popular adventure-style scooter, the X-ADV 750, benefits from a new Shasta White colour tone in Malaysia. With the addition of the new shade, the scooter’s colour palette now offers three options; Pearl Deep Mud Grey and Mat Ballistic Black Metallic being the continuing two.

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 coming to Malaysia: During the inauguration ceremony of its second exclusive showroom in Penang, Royal Enfield Malaysia confirmed the soon launch of the Super Meteor 650. The upcoming motorcycle will come equipped with a 650-cc parallel-twin engine, which also powers the Interceptor and Continental GT. 

Audi Plus loyalty programme launched: The official distributor of Audi cars in Malaysia, PHS Automotive Malaysia, has rolled out a new loyalty programme dubbed as Audi Plus. It offers the customers three 10% service vouchers which are applicable for three years after the fifth year of service and free roadside assistance for up to 12 months.

Proton’s new RPC centre opens in East Malaysia: Proton has finally inaugurated its new regional parts centre (RPC) in East Malaysia. Located at the Bintawa Industrial centre in Kuching, Sarawak, the facility caters to the needs of its customers and dealers in the region leading to a 30% reduction in the lead time for after-sales parts and components delivery. It can manage up to six containers of parts simultaneously and process 17 containers per month on average. At its full capacity, the centre can store three months of stock. 

International news

2023 Honda City facelift launched in India: Honda Cars India has launched the facelifted iteration of the fifth-gen City. Compared to the predecessor, the latest iteration of the sedan features mild cosmetic tweaks, updated petrol mills, and a few new tech features, including a wireless phone charger, wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ambient lighting, and rain-sensing wipers. The new Honda City price in India starts at Rs 11.49 lakh, which is approximately equal to RM 62,524.

Next-gen Mini Countryman teased: Mini has officially teased the next-generation Countryman, along with the confirmation that the luxurious compact SUV will be available on both ICE and BEV versions. The revamped Mini Countryman will be built alongside the BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, and 2 Series Gran Coupe at the BMW Group factory in Leipzig, Germany.

Kia EV9 debut confirmed: After months of teasing, Kia is finally set to unveil its flagship fully-electric SUV, the EV9. The automaker confirms that the EV’s world premiere will take place in mid-March. The EV9 underpins the brand’s dedicated EV platform and 800V architecture on which the EV6 is also built. 

New Volkswagen ID.3 broke covers: Volkswagen has pulled the wraps of the new ID.3 electric SUV that benefits from mild design updates on the exterior and several technology revisions on the inside. The latter includes a larger 12-inch central infotainment display that runs on updated software. Powering the new ID.3 is a rear-mounted electric motor capable of generating a maximum power of 204 hp and a peak torque of 310 Nm.

2023 Hyundai Elantra revealed: Hyundai is set to roll out the revamped iteration of the seventh-gen Elantra (known as Avante in South Korea) first introduced in 2020. Ahead of the full reveal, the automaker released a few images of the upcoming Elantra, previewing the significant cosmetic changes and the new Sage Green seat upholstery.

Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer unveiled: Last week, Honda previewed a souped-up version of the sixth-gen CR-V in the form of the CR-V Hybrid Racer. The track-ready SUV is powered by a 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6 engine which uses renewable race fuel from Shell and comes mated to an electric motor from EMPEL System. It previews the next era of the NTT IndyCar series which is set to adopt hybrid power units next year.

That’s all for the week. For further updates on the industry, stay tuned with us.

Also read: Top 5 luxury cars launching in Malaysia in 2023