And meanwhile.... Naza Kia Malaysia is now offering K-pop fans another exciting BLACKPINK experience! K-Pop means Korean Pop, so if you like that kind of music, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, Naza Kia Malaysia will be hosting nationwide roadshows over the next seven weeks to search for five of Malaysia’s biggest BLACKPINK fans who will win the ultimate experience of a

Naza Kia Malaysia together with their authorised dealers, Supreme Priority Sdn Bhd, have officially opened their 3S centre in Tampoi Johor Bahru. The new centre, which costs RM5 million in total will cater to the growing population in and around the Johor Bahru region. 










The new Kia 3S Centre is located along Jalan Tampoi. It has a built-up area of 18,000 square feet with  a

The Naza Group has graciously contributed a Kia Cerato sedan to the Youth and Sports Skills Training Institute (ILKBS) in support of Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and the Malaysian contestant, Mohamad Ridzuan, who will be competing in the Car Painting category at the WorldSkills Competition (WSC) 2019.










The Kia Cerato will be used for Mohamad Ridzuan’s training and

Naza Kia Malaysia, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, will be holding a carnival-themed Kia Pre-Owned Fest at the Naza Automall in Petaling Jaya on the 28th to the 30th of June 2019. There will be about 200 pre-owned Kia cars available for sale with prices starting from as low as RM8,000 depending on certain terms and conditions of course, as well as other deals on offer.

Kia has just launched a new 2016 Optima over at the New York Motor Show. It basically is better equipped and features a lighter and stiffer chassis than before as it uses more high tensile steel throughout the car. It looks pretty much like the model it replaces and to me it looks more like a major facelift or revision of the previous model with extensive chassis modifications done. All the better if the driving experience is improved.




But what made me open my eyes a little was the fact that there were major changes to the engine lineup -

 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 185 bhp (137 kW) and 178 lb-ft (241 Nm) of torque
Tturbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 178 bhp (132 kW) and 195 lb-ft (264 Nm) of torque
Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 247 bhp (184 kW) and 260 lb-ft (352 Nm) of torque
The first two engines  are connected to a six-speed automatic transmission, while the 1.6-liter turbo is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Over here in Malaysia we get the 165hp (121kw) 196Nm (145lb-ft) 2.0liter Nu 4 cylinder engine coupled to a 6 speed automatic transmission. The car would be an interesting drive if Kia Malaysia decides to bring in the 1.6gdi Turbo engine mentioned above. 178bhp AND 264Nm torque would be really interesting. And if its a 1.6liter engine, only RM90 for the road tax yearly.

Come on Kia. Bring this to Malaysia ASAP.

Hurrah! A group of talented Malaysian Futsal players will represent us at a global futsal tournament in Brazil!! Good luck and all the best to them! Make us proud.

PRESS RELEASE

Kuala Lumpur - Champs to Rio, a futsal tournament by Naza Kia Malaysia ended at a highpoint today with the announcement of the winning team after two gruelling days of round-robin challenges amongst 40 teams. The champion team, KSL FC comprising six players will represent Malaysia at the Kia Champ Into The Arena tournament in Salvador, Brazil on 4-7 July. In addition to the all-expenses paid trip to Brazil, the whole team will get RM10,000 in cash, a champion cup, champion medals, exclusive jerseys and tickets to the Quarter Finals of World Cup 2014.



Champs to Rio is a local initiative by Naza Kia Malaysia for Malaysians to experience and be a part of the excitement and energy of World Cup 2014, one of the biggest sports events of the year. Naza Kia Malaysia gave away RM20,000 in cash in addition to the six flight tickets to Brazil to the winners today.

The champions also received exclusive jerseys which they will wear in the global futsal matches in Brazil. First runner up Versus 5 FC walked home with RM5,000 in total cash and silver medals, second runner up 1 Malaysia United won RM3,000 and bronze medals, whilst third runner up TOT United A won RM2,000 and bronze medals. Registered teams came from all over the country, even as far as Penang and Terengganu.
Only two countries in the whole of Southeast Asia, Malaysia and the Philippines will be sending a futsal team to Brazil for this initiative. Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, Chief Operating Officer of Naza Kia Malaysia said the company sees the global partnership with FIFA World Cup as a great opportunity to deliver the excitement of the brand to football-mad fellow Malaysians.

“Futsal and football are games that unite Malaysians and share a common thread of passion, skill and determination. With Champs to Rio, you get the best of both worlds where the game of futsal acts as a foretaste to the prize of being part of FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

We are pleased to be able to fly the Malaysian flag in Brazil at the global futsal tournament through our champs today. I’m sure you’ll do us proud,” said Datuk Hafiz.

Champs to Rio was open to 38 teams via online registration starting early April 2014. Registered teams started the matches on Saturday, 3 May 2014 at Sports Planet in Ampang. The format of the tournament was LEAGUE-based where 10 teams were put into one group. The top two of each group qualified to Quarter Finals played at the FIFA Pitch. The duration of every match in group stage lasted 20 minutes with 10 minutes for each half. The Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Finals, each match lasting 30 minutes were held on 4 May 2014 at the same venue, with 15 minutes for each half.

Mohd Zahrin bin Ismail, Captain of the champion team, KSL FC, said his whole team was euphoric after winning this once a lifetime opportunity. They trained continuously twice a week to remain fit and alert. KSL FC, considered an underdog as the team is made up of amateur players, came out tops after beating favourites, Versus 5 FC, 3-2 during the penalty shootout.

“We are so excited to be representing Malaysia and Naza Kia in Brazil. This will be a first time for us in an international tournament and truly a dream come true!” he said.

Champs to Rio sits under Naza Kia Malaysia’s “World Cup Rocks with Kia” campaign which gives ten lucky Malaysians the opportunity to win all-expenses-paid trips to Brazil to watch the FIFA World Cup. Other initiatives under this campaign include Fuleco Friend Search (2 tickets won) and 2014 World Cup RoadShow (2 tickets up for grabs) and Cheer to Kia, a roving viewing party.

Living up to Kia’s tagline “The Power to Surprise”, Naza Kia Malaysia has created extraordinary opportunities at the World Cup in Brazil through Kia Motor’s global partnership as the official partner of 2014 FIFA World Cup. Those interested in getting more information on this and other exciting FIFA World Cup initiatives by Naza Kia Malaysia can log on to www.kia.com or www.facebook.com/kiamalaysia.

Let's just do everything in short little blurbs.

National Automotive Policy
The National Automotive Policy was announced recently and basically there is really nothing for most of us Malaysians to get worked up about. As I've already posted on motoring-malaysia.s Facebook page, the summary is as follows:
NAP2014 in a nutshell...no more cheap imported hybrids after existing stocks run out except for CKD. Which is only one car at this moment- Honda Jazz hybrid.

Malaysia will be energy efficient car producing hub and such cars produced here and sold may get tax incentives. This means cars with hybrid, electric, bluemotion, blueeffiency, efficientdynamics, passmotion, locomotion, etc (see which two i made up).

APs stay the same plan of supposedly getting rid of them and as usual some review on them APs. I.e same shit till 2015.

Excise duty will not be abolished as the government needs it to fatten up its coffers but expect a gradual cut of taxes and duties from now on. Boo...as we're still going to pay huge amounts of taxes but the 'upside' is the fact thst your second hand car resale prices dont plummet like crazy.

Lucky there isnt some STUPID end of life policy in there (just some voluntary inspection request to vehicle owners - which is obviously unnecessary as do you really, really, really see any cars on the road that are disasters waiting to happen? No..there aren't many and notice that most of the accidents are caused by stupidity, carelessness and recklessness) . I'm still reading the text of the speech...will update more if necessary

Ron95 Petrol Subsidy to be given to those that deserve it.

I'm sorry. I deserve it as much as the next person as my cars all state that they should use a minimum of RON95. Anyway, what kind of system should be use to determine whether we are eligible or not for the subsidised petrol price? Would I still get a subsidy if I drove my 1998 Proton Wira instead of my 2012 Mercedes as I own more than one car? Would I need some ridiculous sounding 'Kad Petrol 1 Malaysia' that I would need to show to get the subsidy? Would the subsidy only be applied to Perodua Viva or cars below 1000cc?

Too many variables for something like this to be done properly. Let's just wait and see. Anyway, what was stated by Tengku Adnan Mansor, Federal Territories Minister has already been taken out of context and spun round and around already. The truth of the matter is that the matter is still under discussion and I suppose, with this uproar it'll quieten down for a while and things remain the same for a while longer. Typical.

2014 Toyota Altis Launched.

Same as the All-new Toyota Vios. You get average technology with a badge every Malaysian loves. And decent looks too (which will attract a lot of buyers) Buy the car. Be normal. Be safe. Be just like any other Ah Kau, Ahmad, Arumugam who buys Toyotas. Be a face in the crowd. Don't stand out. No. That Altis with a bodykit does not make it a Lexus LFA okay.

I have written about this car in two earlier posts. Just look for it if you have the time. I just don't have the passion to write about this cash cow of a car anymore. Typically Toyota. reliable as heck, slightly dull but a sure seller.

Facelifted 2014 Kia Optima K5 Launched

This one I quite like. You get LED driving lights in the redesigned front end, a diffuser-like rear bumper for the rear, a new flat bottomed steering wheel (very sporty), 6 airbags (very safe), a whole lot of features and really good looking 18inch alloy wheels (the pre-facelift ones were horrid). All for a RM149,888 completely imported from South Korea. It also comes with 5 years unlimited mileage warranty and most probably free servicing for at leat 3 years too.

I like this new look. Those LEDs and rear diffuser make the car look better. Those wheels however make the car look better. The old disc-like multi spoke ones were cheap looking and made this Korean car look like some...well, cheap Korean car. This one is better. Question is would you take this car over the newly launched Honda Accord or not? 

Run out of ideas Kia? In both car design and in naming the car? K9 sounds so much like 'Canine' doesn't it?. It looks a little disappointing because the car looks so much like a BMW.

Click here to read more about it. Posted on myautoblog.org.

The Koreans brought out some heavy hitters. Hyundai brought their new Sonata and their newer Avante sedan for us to preview. Not a bad effort but I prefer Kia's design philosophy. Getting that guy from Audi is a coup for Kia. Take a look at the new Optima and the new Cadenza and you can see what I mean. Of course, I'd rather own something else. But if I saw someone driving a new Optima or a Forte, I would never criticize their choice of car.

Click HERE to read more about it at myautoblog.org .