Latest Insights

Driving And Learning With Stuttgart’s Finest

Insights

Eric | July 06, 2018

Almost anyone who tracks often should be familiar with the ‘slow in, fast out’ phrase, but the ‘fast in, tow truck out’ phrase stuck with me as being one of the most memorable, not because it’s funny, but because it’s true.I recently attended the 2018...

Hiding Inside This Normal Looking Mazda 3 Prototype Is The Saviour Of Combustion Engines

Insights

Hans | July 05, 2018

The idealistic and somewhat stubborn engineers at Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan are currently about to cross a proverbial bridge of no return. As the industry trends towards electrification, driverless cars, with Internet car-sharing startups...

Happy 35th Birthday, Honda CR-X

Insights

Eric | July 04, 2018

In early 1980, young Takanobu Ito was tasked with developing a sportier version of the Civic. Back then, the Civic’s popularity was already cemented thanks to excellent fuel economy and fun-to-drive nature.But the Civic was did not portray a sporty image...

A Titan Among Immortals – Remembering The (E60) BMW M5

Insights

Arvind | July 01, 2018

There are less than 20 minutes before we have to clear out from the Circuito De Estoril. Me and my drive partner have just wrapped up a stellar day behind the wheel of the (F90) BMW M5 and – by all accounts – it's magnificent, not just because of...

The Porsche 911 Hierarchy Explained

Insights

Aswan | June 28, 2018

When it comes to variety, no other car model beats the Porsche 911. It comes in so many different variants, based off of the same basic platform with each generation. Some badges don't have as much meaning as they used to, and some badges are phased out...

Malaysia Was The First Country Outside Of Germany To Assemble An S-Class, 35 Years Ago

Insights

Hans | June 26, 2018

Thirty five years ago on this day 26-June in 1983, in the pre-Internet era, a telex message from Daimler-Benz’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany was sent to Cycle and Carriage Bintang’s head office in Kuala Lumpur saying, “Wunderbar Malaysia,...

The Premium Sedan That’s Not German – The Time Has Come For Swedish Luxury

Insights

Hans | June 25, 2018

There’s no doubt that the latest products from Volvo Cars are class-leading in nearly every objective evaluation. The most comfortable seats are no longer made by Mercedes-Benz but Volvo. The best powertrains are no longer made by BMW but Volvo. The best...

Lessons From Mazda’s Jinba Ittai Instructor

Insights

Hans | June 22, 2018

“Respect the water and understand your limits,” zen-like words of wisdoms from Ian Khong, Mazda’s Lead Jinba Ittai instructor at Malaysia’s first ever MazdaSports Academy. Yes, Jinba Ittai instructor is a real position within Mazda.If you don’t already...

There's A Small Chance For Mahathir’s New National Car To Succeed, Here's Why

Insights

Hans | June 12, 2018

At the ongoing 24th International Conference On The Future Of Asia Conference in Tokyo, Japan, Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad reiterated his intention to start another Proton, which has since been sold to China’s Geely during his...

The Porsche You Didn’t Know - The One In Austria, And Doesn’t Make Any Porsches

Insights

Hans | June 04, 2018

For most people, Porsche equals 911, and rightly so. But like any sprawling organization whose history spans nearly a century, understanding the full spectrum of Porsche's heritage is a case of the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know...

The Cars Of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

Insights

Hans | June 04, 2018

Tucked away in a quiet corner just outside the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s city centre is Galeria Sri Perdana. It’s one of those places that are popular among tourists but many locals have never even set foot in it.The site was originally the...

Lake Wörthersee - Where The World Unites To Celebrate The Love For All Things VW

Insights

Hans | May 23, 2018

Some of the biggest entries in modern history centre on some of the unlikeliest candidates, people without clout or big budgets, but whose accounts are richer in faith and passion than dollars and cents. Microsoft was upstaged by a couple of post-...

Zero GST - The Rich Will Gain Most, The Poor And Middle Class Less So

Insights

Hans | May 18, 2018

In keeping with Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto, the newly formed Malaysian government under the leadership of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has since announced that come 1-June 2018, all items currently taxable by GST will become zero rated. It is good...

Did Mercedes-Benz Played A Quiet Role At The Korean Peace Summit?

Insights

Hans | April 30, 2018

The biggest news last week had to be the historic peace summit between North and South Korea, a major step forward by the two Koreas which have been technically at war since 1950 as no peace treaty was signed following a call for truce.We will leave...

AD: 5 Things We Love About The All-New BMW X3

Insights

Aswan | April 26, 2018

With the launch of the all-new BMW X3, the mid-sized luxury SUV market has a fierce new competitor. There are many reasons to love the BMW X3, and here are our top five picks.The PowertrainAt launch, the BMW X3 is offered in one powertrain specification...

Local Assembly Of AMG 43 Models - A Joint Effort Between Thailand And Malaysia

Insights

Hans | April 26, 2018

The biggest local news this week has to be the launch of not one but two locally-assembled AMG models in Malaysia. It’s a major milestone not just for Mercedes-Benz’s performance sub-brand AMG, but also for Mercedes-Benz’s local offices in Thailand and...

Volvo Wants To Reduce Road Fatalities To Zero, But This Is What Annoys Them Most

Insights

Hans | April 13, 2018

About ten years ago on July 2008, Volvo Car Corporation announced a rather outlandish ambition for itself – that by 2020 no one should be killed or injured in a new Volvo car. Typical of Sweden’s human-centric and noble culture, Volvo argued that society...

How Turning On The Wipers Can Alter The Way Mazda’s Predictive i-Activ AWD Works

Insights

Hans | March 27, 2018

Having spent most of my driving life in the tropics, I don’t consciously make a distinction between driving on snow and on ice - something which I need to fix immediately if I am to drive safely in this minus 10 degrees Celsius weather in Hokkaido....