Weekly wrap-up: Ora Good Cat EV, 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS, & 2022 Benelli Panarea 125 launch, Audi e-tron coming soon, and much more

The first week of December was nothing less exciting for the Malaysian auto arena. Apart from several noteworthy car launches, the country also received big news on the soon arrival of the Audi e-tron range. The national automaker Perodua revealed its sales report for last month and has exceeded its annual targets. As for the international automotive market, there were several big announcements including the Toyota GT Corolla launch and more.

Local news update

Ora Good Cat EV launch: Great Wall Motors (GWM) has launched its new electric hatchback, the Ora Good Cat in the Malaysian market. The local-spec model is offered in two variant options - the 400 Pro and 500 Ultra; priced at RM 139,800 and RM 169,800, respectively, on the road without insurance. Both models feature a single e-motor pumping 143 PS and 210 Nm of torque. It is the battery capacity that differentiates the two trims, the 400 Pro gets a 47.8 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate unit (400 km of range) and the 500 Ultra gets a bigger 63.1 kWh unit offering a range of 500 km. The Ora Good Cat’s two variants are covered by a 5-year/150,000 km warranty with the battery benefiting from an 8-year/180,000km warranty.

Toyota Camry is PM Anwar’s preferred car: Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently announced that he has rejected his office proposal to use a new ‘Mercedes 600’ for office duties. The order for the German limo was placed by the Prime Minister Department before PM Anwar took office. However, the order was rejected by the PM as he did not want to make any new expenditure on his account. The Malaysia-spec Camry was updated earlier this year and for the PM the sedan gets reclinable rear seats with a touch-activated control panel on the center armrest.

Audi e-tron GT & RS e-tron GT coming to Malaysia in Q2 2023: The official distributor of Audi cars in Malaysia, PHS Automotive, has announced the arrival of the e-tron GT by Q2 of 2023. The same car was announced as the 2022 World Performance Car of the Year and in Malaysia, it will be offered in two versions namely, the e-tron GT and the RS e-tron GT. Both the e-tron GT trims are powered by two e-motors which are powered by an 85 kWh lithium-ion battery. The EV offers an electric range of up to 487 km. The electric motor makes 476 PS/630 Nm and 598PS/830Nm in the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT, respectively.

GWM to introduce 9 new cars in 3 years: Following the local launch of Ora Good Cat, GWM announced its expansion plans for Malaysia. The Chinese automaker aims to introduce nine cars in the next three years, consisting of SUVs, sedans, and pickup trucks. Also, the brand will enhance its network by opening 15 outlets across Peninsular Malaysia.

BYD Atto 3 open for booking: BYD Malaysia opened the pre-bookings for its fully-electric crossover, the Atto 3. The EV is scheduled to launch next week, on December 9, 2022, prior to which interested buyers can book their slot on the car. Sime Darby Malaysia, the official distributor of BYD cars in Malaysia, will offer the Atto 3 in two variant options - Standard Range and Extended Range. The EV is estimated to be priced between RM 150k and RM 170k and its order can be put down for RM 1,5000 (fully refundable).

Seong Hoe Premium Motors BMW and MINI showroom reopened: Seong Hoe Premium Motors has officiated its new, refurbished showroom which will house a wide range of BMW vehicles along with MINI cars. With a total built-up area of 7,100 sq ft., the showroom has a display area for 10 BMW vehicles and 3 MINI models. The renovated facility features a range of premium services and facilities including - BMW Financial and Insurance Services, BMW Service, Fast Lane Service, BMW Lifestyle, and Roadside Assistance with Pickup & Delivery Service. Also, part of the service suite is MINI Service, Lifestyle, and Accessories.

 

BMW Charging package for BMW & MINI EV owners: BMW Malaysia in partnership with JomCharge, a local EV charging company, has introduced the BMW Charging package. Priced at RM 640, the package includes a 105 discount off the charging bill in the first year, and 800 JomCharge credits (essentially a RM 160 discount). The BMW and MINI EV owners now have the privilege to access more than 550 charging facilities across Malaysia; including 65 JomCharge outlets, 50 Gentari outlets, and more than 330 outlets from ChargEV.

Porsche Malaysia opens a new 4S center: The official distributor of Porsche cars in Malaysia, Sime Darby Auto Performance, has opened a new showroom called the Porsche Centre Johor Bahru. The new 4S center is located at Dango Bay in Johor Bahru, and is the brand’s first 4S center in the country where sales, service, and spare parts supplies are combined with a Porsche-certified Body & Paint workshop. The said facility is also the first Porsche Classic Partner in the country.

2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS launch: The official distributor of Porsche cars in Malaysia, Sime Darby Auto Performance, launched the 718 Cayman GT4 RS in the local market. Priced at RM 1.55 million, the car is powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six unit making a maximum power of 500 PS along with a peak torque of 450 Nm. The drive is sent to wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission with shorter ratios. On the performance front, the can completes the century sprint in just 3.4 seconds and attains a top speed of 315 kmph.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge coming to Malaysia: Volvo Car Malaysia is set to host a brand experience event from Dec 16-18, 2022 at KLGCC Resort. At the same event, the automaker is scheduled to launch the all-new Volvo C40 Recharge. The upcoming car would be Volvo’s second locally-assembled EV offering in the country after the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric.

Perodua exceeds its sales target for 2022: Perodua has sold 250,795 cars from January to November 2022. Thus surpassing its yearly target of 247,800, announced earlier this year. In November 2022 alone the automaker sold 28,592 units, which is a new monthly sales record. The top three Perodua models sales-wise are Brezza, Myvi, and Axia.

2022 Benelli Panarea 125 scooter launched in Malaysia: Malaysian scooter market gets the all-new 2022 Benelli Panarea 125. The retro-style scooter is priced at RM 6,888 and is powered by a 124 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled mill making 8.44 hp and 9.2 Nm.

International news update

2023 Toyota GR Corolla launched in Thailand: Toyota GR Corolla made its ASEAN debut recently with Thailand being the first ASEAN country to welcome the sedan. Limited to just 9 units, the car fetches a price of 3.949 million baht (around RM 497,567).

Toyota GR Corolla RZ & GR Corolla Morizo Edition in Japan: Toyota in its home market launched the new GR Corolla in two versions - the GR Corolla RZ and GR Corolla Morizo Edition. The former is limited to just 500 units and has an asking price of 5.25 million yen (RM 172,031). The track-focused GR Corolla Morizo Edition, on the other hand, is limited to just 70 units with each car priced at 7.15 million yen (RM 234,318). Both cars can be acquired via a lottery system.

2022 BMW Motorrad CE04 electric scooter in Thailand: BMW electric scooter, the CE04 has made its Thai debut. Priced at 859,000 baht (approx. RM 108,518), the e-scooter comes with a 5-year warranty against manufacturing defects.

2023 BMW X1 launched in Singapore: BMW’s compact SUV, the X1 has made it to the Singapore market. Powering the car is a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder petrol mill making 122 PS and 230 Nm of torque. On the performance front, the car completes a century sprint in 10.5 seconds and attains a top speed of 200 kmph.

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