Latest Insights

How A Letter From A Disabled Woman To Honda Changed Japan

Insights

Hans  |  November 15, 2017

“Both my hands are disabled. Is there a way for people like myself to drive? My mother always does the driving, but one day I’d like her to be the passenger,” reads a letter sent by Noriko Tsuji to Honda in 1981.Noriko was one of the unfortunate victims...

Mazda G-Vectoring Control – How It Works

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Eric  |  November 15, 2017

In keeping true to their Jinba Ittai philosophy, Mazda continuously finds methods to improve the driveability of their cars. G-Vectoring Control, or GVC in short, is one of such solutions aimed to improve Mazda’s already excellent handling prowess.While...

All-New Honda Civic Type R FK8 Accepts RON 95, But Makes 10PS Less

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Kon  |  November 09, 2017

Owners of the legendary Honda Civic Type R FD2 will tell you all about their car’s appetite for high octane fuel. Its high-revving naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre K20A engine is well-known for its requirement of RON 98 fuel, meaning nothing less than Shell...

Honda Engineer Buys Civic Type R, And Waits In Line For It

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Kon  |  November 09, 2017

The surest way to express pride and confidence in one’s own creation is to actually buy and own the said product.Hideki Kakinuma is the Assistant Large Project Leader of the FK8 Honda Civic Type R, a car which he is rightly and unsurprisingly proud of,...

The Young, Avid Motorcyclist Who Designed Honda's Sports EV Concept

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Hans  |  November 09, 2017

When every show stage of nearly every major car maker at every major motor show is peddling similar looking electric powered self-driving lounge on wheels concept cars, as a car enthusiasts you can’t be very excited about the future. So when we saw the...

A Vision Of The Future: Talking To Two Of Mazda's Top Designers

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Aswan  |  November 01, 2017

When it comes to automotive design, concept cars function in multiple different roles. They may not always make it to production, but they are at times more than just pretty design pieces destined to sit in a museum of some sort. Concept cars can be as...

When Honda Invented The World’s First In-Car Navigation System

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Hans  |  October 25, 2017

What you see here, an exhibit at the Honda Collection Hall at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Tochigi, Japan, is the world’s first commercially available in-car navigation system. Launched in 1981, well before Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) services...

Parenthood & Motoring – Keeping The Kids Safe In Your Car

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Kon  |  October 20, 2017

Parenthood changes your life and priorities completely. That’s the common wisdom, and it is one I can testify from personal experience having welcomed my first newborn into the family just a couple of months ago.More than just being a bundle of joy, a...

Mazda Reaffirms Commitment To Promote Clean Diesel Engines In Malaysia

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Hans  |  October 12, 2017

While others have given up, Mazda stands firm in its commitment to popularize clean diesel engines in Malaysia. The variant line-up of the recently launched all-new CX-5 is a reflection of this – the highest specifications model, with a full suite of i-...

Reducing Cabin Noise A Major Focus In Developing All-New Mazda CX-5

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Hans  |  October 11, 2017

The early generation of SkyActiv-equipped Mazda cars, including the previous generation Mazda CX-5, were noted for their superior handling, youthful looks and premium looking interior. However they do have one weakness - cabin noise, a criticism that’s...

Mazda: Our Aim Is Not To Build Cheap Cars, We Focus Only On Car Lovers

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Hans  |  October 11, 2017

On paper, the Mazda CX-5 sits in the same class as the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester, not forgetting similarly priced 7-seaters like the Mitsubishi Outlander, real world experience with the actual car tells a very different story.The badge might say...

Ford Thailand Shows You How To Load Your Pickup Properly

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Aswan  |  October 04, 2017

While pickup trucks may offer a huge amount of boot space and lots of flexibility in terms of how you load your cargo, there are still a lot of ways this can go wrong. You see it from time to time, with objects strewn by the side of the road after...

This Twin Steering Wheels Lexus Is Saving Enthusiast Drivers From Driverless Cars

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Hans  |  October 02, 2017

Autonomous driving is the automotive industry’s buzzword these days. With non-automotive companies like Google and even China’s Baidu threatening to muscle into the automotive space by leveraging on their knowledge in artificial intelligence to build...

Get To Know The New CEO Of Proton – Dr Li Chunrong

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Arvind  |  October 02, 2017

Towards the end of what was a lengthy and insightful press conference, punctuated by pressing questions about his mid- and long-term plans for Proton and brand of leadership that he will bring to the table.Dr. Li Chunrong, the first Non-Malaysian CEO of...

Honda City And Jazz Hybrid: Difference Between Hybrid and Non-Hybrid Models

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Eric  |  September 21, 2017

Honda Malaysia recently introduced two new hybrid models based on the new City and Jazz. Both these models adopt the company’s new Sport i-DCD hybrid set up, featuring a new 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine paired to a seven-speed DCT.From the exterior, as...

Honda Sport Hybrid, Is It Expensive To Maintain?

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Eric  |  September 19, 2017

“Hybrid, you sure you want to buy a hybrid? Maintenance very high lah.” Yeah, that is the mindset that Honda Malaysia wants to eradicate with the introduction of its new hybrid lineup. Easier said than done, however, stigma remains ingrained in...

Malaysia Day Special: The Who and Where Of Malaysia’s Car Industry

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Hans  |  September 16, 2017

When the late Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaimed Malaya’s independence from the British empire in 1957, our local roads were mostly travelled by imported British cars. There was no vehicle assembly or manufacturing plant in the country.The nearest was Ford...

How GM Pioneered Airbags And Then Lost It All To Mercedes-Benz

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Hans  |  September 03, 2017

Thirty years ago on this month of September, at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a W126 generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class fitted with a front passenger airbag – claiming it to be a world’s first. The same W126 model had also...