My Car, My Style - Don't Laugh!

Sometimes, I can't help but be amused by the confused styling that some car owners give to their rides. Take the Avanza above, for example. It has step-ups usually installed in a 4x4 but also uses what looks to be 13-inch rims with low profile tyres.

So, what's it supposed to be? A ground hugging 7-seater with 'tiny feet' that has step-ups to help people get in the car that's already low?

Hey, to each his own. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Still, I bet if the guy had enough money, he'd put in 17-inch rims with low profile tyres, along with other bling-blings.

How would I know? Well, when I was driving my old Mazda 626 back in the early-to-late 1990s, money was tight. How I wished I had enough money to put in 15-inch rims and low profile tyres.

But since I couldn't afford to, I had to make do with 13-inch rims and tyres so bloated they looked like donuts.

And that's life. We do what we can to get by.

Toyota Altis - An Ugly Car that's Turned Cute

My colleague who would be retiring in a few years time bought the new Toyota Altis 1.8L. This was despite the fact that she initially said it was ugly.

I thought I had convinced her to buy the Honda Civic 1.8L, which is a much better looking car than the silly looking Altis. But no.

She said, her mechanic said that Altis is the best car in the mid-range segment. It has good resale value and 'good handling'.

Well, it has been said that if you put the Toyota badge on just about anything, people would think that it's a good thing because it's Toyota.

As for 'good handling', it has been said that the Altis feels like a 'sampan' or little rowboat.

But I suppose, for a soon-to-retire person, the Altis is good because it's soft and floaty - fit for an old person. And in case she needs to sell it, it would be able to fetch a better-than-average resale price.

Last but not least, she now thinks that the Altis looks OK and by that I think she means it looks cute, which is ugly in a nice way.

Oh, well....

Goodbye to My Old Blogsite, Hello to My New

For some people, familiarity breeds contempt. For me, more often than not, familiarity breeds contentment.
After more than a year blogging at my Yahoo! 360 blogsite, I'm forced to abandon the comfort of familiarity offered by my old blogsite, because Yahoo is shutting it down.
For those who have been frequenting my blogs, I've tried as best as I could to replicate the look and feel of my old blogsite at my new one.
Hope you'll continue to visit it often.

Never Pay Cash at Toll Booths

Why, oh why do people waste time paying cash at toll booths? Is it so difficult to get a Touch n Go card to pay via credit?

Truth be told, Touch n Go cards are a dime a dozen these days. For example, Burger King used to have a promotion whereby if you spent more than RM50 or so on your meal, you'd get a Burger King Touch n Go card.

Alternatively, if you apply for a Maybank credit card, you could also apply for a Zing! Touch n Go card that auto-reloads using your Maybank credit card.

You can also reload your Touch n Go card at auto teller machines (ATMs) or at the reload booths at toll houses.

Even more convenient is the Smart Tag that allows you to pass through Smart Tag booths at speeds of up to 40 km/h and sometimes faster. These tags can be easily purchased at the Touch n Go centre at Faber Towers, Taman Desa or at the operations offices of the various toll operators (but for the latter, availability depends on whether it's in stock).

And yet, many prefer to pay cash still, causing massive jams at toll booths during peak hours and during holiday seasons.

Some people lay blame for this squarely on the supposed unavailability of Touch n Go cards and Smart Tags, when in truth, many people who use tolled highways cannot afford to put a lot of money on the Touch n Go cards. As a result, they would very much prefer to pay cash as and when they use tolled highways.

These are the kind of people who would rather face the Federal Highway jam than pay toll on a daily basis. And there are a lot of them.

In the end, there is no simple solution to jams at toll houses. Reducing the toll charges is not a magic bullet, nor is making Touch n Go cards and Smart Tags more easily available than they already are.

The best thing to do is to leave early for work and early for home from work. Alternatively, leave late for work and leave late for home from work.

This way, you'd be able to avoid the peak hour jam, regardless of whether you pay cash or by Touch n Go card.

Personally, I prefer to leave home early for work. That way, I never have to endure the jam caused by those who pay cash and can zoom right through the Smart Tag booths.

Peugeot 308 – Ugly in a Nice Way

The Peugeot 308 Turbo is reasonably affordable at RM111,000. Although it is powered by 1.6L engine, it can churn out up to 150Bhp, thanks to the turbo addition.
This allows the 308 Turbo to be both fuel economical as well as powerful.
Unfortunately, the 308 Turbo looks like an old 307 that has been squashed at the front by a giant’s foot – not a pretty sight.
Some cars look pretty while standing still. Some cars look pretty when on the move.
Some cars look pretty when standing still and on the move.
The 308 Turbo? It just looks frekking ugly.
And then something happens. Your eyes adjust, you get used to the lines and curves, and all of a sudden, it becomes cute.
Nothing about the car has changed. It’s your preference that’s changed.
And that’s pretty much how the evolution of car design takes place. What’s butt ugly one day becomes beautifully trend setting the next.
My Ford Focus S2.0’s warranty period is coming to an end soon. And if I decide to buy a replacement, after the end of that period, it’d probably be the 308 Turbo.

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Addendum: I've made arrangements for test-driving the 308 Turbo this weekend in Bangsar, KL. This would give me a chance to compare the 308 Turbo's performance against the Ford Focus S2.0's performance.
Will blog about the experience soon.

Proton Looks to Future in Export Markets

As the sun sets on the global economic recession, a new chapter is opening for multinational corporations that have looked at the crisis as an opportunity. In the case of Proton, it is prepping itself for opportunities in overseas markets that would materialise once the global economic recovery begins in earnest.

"Following the success of the Exora in the domestic market, we are now planning to launch the MPV in the Indonesian market in July 2009, which has a sizeable middle class market and is predominantly an MPV market," says PROTON Holdings Berhad's Managing Director Dato' Haji Syed Zainal Abidin bin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

Proton already has a strategic partnership with Zagross Khodro for the completely knocked down (CKD) assembly of the Wira and more recently the Gen.2 models in Iran. It has also entered into a business relationship with Youngman of China for the completely built up (CBU) supply of Gen.2 and Persona models, which are sold and distributed in China under Youngman's Europestar badge, potentially leading to CKD assembly operations.

In addition, Proton is finalising its India strategy by the end of the year.

“We are indeed excited with these prospects in making Proton cars available and more visible in the overseas markets as this will hopefully enhance our revenue," says Syed Zainal.

As such, Proton is aiming at doubling its total sales volume by 2010.

Well, Malaysians far and wide can only wish Proton all the best. It’s about time Malaysia’s automotive flagship corporation makes headway in the international arena.

Hopefully, Proton would grow from strength to strength and find itself on the FORTUNE Global 500 list of the best performing corporations in the world.

Hopefully, it would be soon.

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Addendum: Proton only needs one or two good models and good supply chain management to make it big overseas.
Look at how Toyota took over the Malaysian market with just the Toyota Vios and Myvi.
Granted that Toyota is already a leader in the world automotive market. Nonetheless, it didn't start that way.
Hopefully, Proton has learnt from its past mistakes to make real headway overseas. Also, Proton has to learn the lessons Toyota, Honda, etc had to learn in conquering markets.
Hopefully, Proton's new management learns fast.

Malaysia Outlook – Recovery to Begin in 2nd Half of 2009

The Malaysian economy has shrunk by 6.2% in the first three months of the year, its first quarterly drop since 2001, but Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) maintained that a recovery is due towards the year-end.
Is this optimism well founded? Looking at the various signs of recovery worldwide, it is.
In the UK, house prices unexpectedly jumped by 1.2% in May in a sign the property market slump is easing, Nationwide Building Society said.(See http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aVJU2RomtZJE&refer=europe)
Japan’s industrial output surged the most in 56 years in April as a rebound in exports helps the economy emerge from its worst recession since World War II. Production rose 5.2% from March, the second monthly gain, the Trade Ministry said in Tokyo. The increase was faster than the 3.3% economists estimated, and companies said they planned to boost output in May and June as well. (See http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=ahEPo3B.gkfM&refer=japan)
China’s growth prospects have improved from three months ago, even after accounting for drops in steel and electricity output and the risk of a manufacturing contraction this month, economists’ forecasts show. The world’s third-largest economy will expand 7.5% this year, according to the median estimate of 14 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, up from a 7.1% forecast in February. (See http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601009&sid=aLdmVUpdqy_Q&refer=commodities)
India’s economy grew more than expected last quarter, easing pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to revive consumer demand as he starts his second term in office. Stocks and the rupee gained.
Asia’s third-largest economy expanded 5.8% in the three months to 31 March, matching the revised gain of the previous quarter, the statistics office said in New Delhi. Economists were expecting a 5% increase. (See http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=aSUxBPYjQhAk&refer=economies)
Australia’s oil and gas producers propose projects valued in excess of A$200 billion ($160 billion) that may help lead the country out of its first recession since 1991, the industry’s biggest lobby group says. Developing the projects may create 50,000 jobs, yield A$10 billion in government revenue and avoid 180 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association Chairman Eric Streitberg said. (See http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aBRcvc15OFE8&refer=australia)
More importantly for Malaysia, NYMEX Crude Future was at USD66.41 at 19.20hrs today and WTI Cushing Spot closed at USD66.31 on 29 May 2009.
Considering that the oil and gas industry has been the biggest contributor to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), these figures, along with other signs of worldwide recovery, show that recovery optimism in the 2nd half of the year is indeed justifiable.