Mobil Rakyat...new cars

[jstar]

The Suzuki Ignis gets a facelift.

 

[jstar]

A big trend now in autoland; update the corporate logo.

It all becomes more simple and flat, 2D.

 

[vocalneal]

Seem very nice truck,

Peugeot has a good reputation in Africa. Should sell well. Won't be long before ISIS has the antiaircraft version.

 

[jstar]

.
You remember this one?

Just like the Suzuki Jimny & Vitara, this small Daihatsu off-roader had quite a following and diehard fans.

And last year we got the great news that there would be a new Feroza or Rocky or Fourtrak. It would be positioned under the Terios.

When we saw the result on the Tokyo car expo it was kind of disappointing. Unlike the new Jimny, no links to its history, no square lines nor a boxy design but just a small SUV which resembles the current competition. Urban jungle, my @ss.

Well, perhaps luckily, Daihatsu announced the car would stay in Japan for now and Daihatsu will not introduce any new models in Indonesia in 2020.
.

 

[jstar]

Not only the start of the production of the Polestar 2 in China is good news. Volvo's Chinese parent company Geely is also back in action again. Volvo has resumed production in three of its four Chinese locations and states in a press release that showroom visits are also picking up again. Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, reported something similar earlier this week.

In general, showroom visits are still considerably lower than in the same period a year earlier. According to the Chinese trade association, visits of the dealers are at 57.2 percent of the usual.

Car parts maker Faurecia announced on Tuesday that its Chinese factories are now back at 70% of their normal capacity. German roof specialist Webasto seems to be at 60%.

 

[vocalneal]

I thought that name rung a bell. The V8 Supercar racing team was called Polestar Racing.

 

[jstar]

Yes, that Polestar racing team was bought by Volvo. Then they also did some tuning work and now they have become a brand of electric cars.

 

[jstar]

The car industry will be trying to help out in the current crisis. Esp. since the car production is currently almost non existant.

Last week, Honda and Ford announced that they had been approached by the British government, as wel as construction machine manufacturer JCB. The chief executive of JCB said that the government was mainly looking for companies that could help with the production of respiratory equipment.

McLaren, who normally builds sports cars, also said they would like to help and now devote themselves to developing respirators, leaving the production to others.

Engineering consortia have now been created in the UK to manage the ventilator development process and production. McLaren is coordinating one, while Nissan heads another. A prototype should be ready this week.

The German government has also called on its car manufacturers. Volkswagen is investigating whether it can use its 3D printers.

In hard-hit Italy, Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) are talking to the largest ventilator manufacturer, Siare Engineering, to see how they can help.

The Italian government has asked Siare to increase the production of respirators from 160 to 500 units per month. Ferrari and FCA may be able to advise Siare on how to scale up as quickly as possible. In any case, it should be easier for Siare to acquire parts with the purchasing connections of both companies, especially as every country is looking for ways to make more respirators.

In the United States, General Motors contacted the White House last week about the possibility to assist in the production of respirators. Ford has also indicated its willingness to do so and has now announced that it will be working with 3M to manufacture face masks. And based on a design by General Electric, it will make a simplified version of GE's ventilator.

In addition, many people, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, have called on Tesla CEO Elon Musk to assist. Musk said he will do that as soon as there are shortages. Commenting on De Blasio's tweet, Musk said he would contact local authorities.

 

[jstar]

Land Rover introduced its new Defender.

Esp. in Indonesia, next to the MB G-Class and oldtimers of course, it has been proven to be one of the best 'investments' so far.

They easily sell a LaRo Defender of 5 years old for 2 billion rupiah! And for an 8 year old car they ask 1.5 billion. Crazy prices.

Now, the new Defender will be much more expensive than the previous one, in Western European they go between €50K and €100K. Of course they're much more luxurious than the previous model which was rather spartan. There are multiple versions as the 90 (small) and 110 (large) again, as well as commercial versions etc.

 

[Greg Ledford]

Looking forward to it.

Finally the official Toyota Corolla Cross was released in Indonesia, becoming the Cheapest Hybrid Car in the country.

PT Toyota Astra Motor or TAM finally officially launched the Toyota Corolla Cross in Indonesia, Thursday (6/8/2020) afternoon.

The launch of the Compact SUV is done online through a Toyota Indonesia Youtube account.

The presence of the Toyota Corolla Cross has been awaited by Indonesian automotive enthusiasts since it was launched in Thailand in July.

Indonesia has the honor of being the third country in Southeast Asia to begin introducing this compact sized SUV.

Besides carrying the name Corolla which has been present since 1966, this car is staying digadang can compete with competitors such as the Mazda CX-30 and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

President Director of PT Toyota Astra Motor, Susumu Matsuda said, the Toyota Corolla Cross in Indonesia comes with two engine options.

 

[harryopal1]

Not exactly a great film but car buffs might enjoy the variety of cars in this motor sport film from 1956.
Checkpoint:

 

[HappyMan]

I know it's a bit off topic but have any of you guys tried changing your own fluids and plugs here? Is there much of a savings versus the dealership? My dad always had me "assist" his maintenance since I was a kid. Doesn't take long, but I don't want to do it just for fun.

 

[macvert]

I doubt there would be much of a saving but think a dealership would charge more than your everyday mechanic.
Unless you know a mechanic that you know you can trust, one who cares & has pride in his work I think the main reason for doing it yourself is that at least you know the job has been done properly, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen mechanics screw up the little things & this includes dealerships.

 

[Banana72]

I doubt there would be much of a saving but think a dealership would charge more than your everyday mechanic.
Unless you know a mechanic that you know you can trust, one who cares & has pride in his work I think the main reason for doing it yourself is that at least you know the job has been done properly, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen mechanics screw up the little things & this includes dealerships.

Dealerships (service) are overpriced and no guarantee they'd do a good job...more than likely they'll recommend you replacing parts you don't need, etc. A few years ago I had a wheezing noise every time I stepped on the gas and I just couldn't find what it was. A short trip to Auto 2000 later, after waiting for a good hour, a mechanic told me something was wrong with the 'turbo'...involving a replacement part that would've cost me 17 million...but he might be able to 'help' find a refurbished part for around 14-15 mill. Thanks but no thanks. Took it to a mechanic that usually changes my oil, and he took it for a drive with me.....went back to his shop, told me to step on the gas while he listened...told me to go to an exhaust shop....turned out there was a bit of rusted/corroded area in my exhaust. No 17 million parts needed.

 

[HappyMan]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Guess I'll look into an oil brand, buy a drain pan, and give it a go. Should be nostalgic.

I've always been a bit iffy on the dealership, actually. They tell me I need a new air filter every time I go in there. I don't know much about cars, miss my old Cresida where I could do it all myself (with the aid of Chilton or Hayes).

 

[Dave70]

Some of my experience in Indonesia;

• Tire Repair Shop over-inflating tires – this happen quite often, your driver brings your car to a tire repair shop because your car’s tire looks under-inflated, a worker pumps air using something with a gauge, the driver returns and you think it’s OK now, then you measure the pressure yourself, and get shocked as it is now over-inflated by 30% to 100% (twice the maximum amount). Next time, you instruct the driver to watch the pressure gauge, sometimes it’s OK, sometimes it’s still way above the recommended pressure. It’s a hit and miss thing if you must depend on a driver.
• Valve Stem Cap missing – other times, it must have happened more than once, the car returned from a tire repair shop with one or more of the valve stem cap missing, the worker must have forgotten to replace it after pumping air.
• Tire Lug Nut not tight – once, it happened once only, a car need new tires so all wheels have been removed, then you discovered one of the wheel’s Tire Lug Nuts are still loose. I was fuming because it’s dangerous. An over-inflated tire, especially double the recommended pressure, is also dangerous. Note: Incidents were NOT from the same shop but different shops.
• Brought the car to an authorized service center for routine periodic maintenance, the car returned with a box of new unused Oil Filter along with other parts replaced including used Air Filter, Spark Plugs, etc. Obviously, the mechanic forgot to replace the Oil Filter.
• Some service centers use Engine Oils recommended by the car manufacturer which can have no real brand name (just the brand of the car), while at one time a service center recommended ‘Motul’ which my staff approved without thinking about the price. Later checked at Tokopedia and the price is only about half of what we paid. I guess it’s like buying Coke from a supermarket compared to ordering it at a restaurant.

So @HappyMan, if you can DIY, it will save you money and troubles.

 

[Zavia]

I know it's a bit off topic but have any of you guys tried changing your own fluids and plugs here? Is there much of a savings versus the dealership? My dad always had me "assist" his maintenance since I was a kid. Doesn't take long, but I don't want to do it just for fun.

Some of my experience in Indonesia;

• Tire Repair Shop over-inflating tires – this happen quite often, your driver brings your car to a tire repair shop because your car’s tire looks under-inflated, a worker pumps air using something with a gauge, the driver returns and you think it’s OK now, then you measure the pressure yourself, and get shocked as it is now over-inflated by 30% to 100% (twice the maximum amount). Next time, you instruct the driver to watch the pressure gauge, sometimes it’s OK, sometimes it’s still way above the recommended pressure. It’s a hit and miss thing if you must depend on a driver.
• Valve Stem Cap missing – other times, it must have happened more than once, the car returned from a tire repair shop with one or more of the valve stem cap missing, the worker must have forgotten to replace it after pumping air.
• Tire Lug Nut not tight – once, it happened once only, a car need new tires so all wheels have been removed, then you discovered one of the wheel’s Tire Lug Nuts are still loose. I was fuming because it’s dangerous. An over-inflated tire, especially double the recommended pressure, is also dangerous. Note: Incidents were NOT from the same shop but different shops.
• Brought the car to an authorized service center for routine periodic maintenance, the car returned with a box of new unused Oil Filter along with other parts replaced including used Air Filter, Spark Plugs, etc. Obviously, the mechanic forgot to replace the Oil Filter.
• Some service centers use Engine Oils recommended by the car manufacturer which can have no real brand name (just the brand of the car), while at one time a service center recommended ‘Motul’ which my staff approved without thinking about the price. Later checked at Tokopedia and the price is only about half of what we paid. I guess it’s like buying Coke from a supermarket compared to ordering it at a restaurant.

So @HappyMan, if you can DIY, it will save you money and troubles.

OOO car question!

If its my personal car, im definitely doing it on my own. For those interested, youtube channels like chrisfix is really really good (and entertaining).

Dealerships (service) are overpriced and no guarantee they'd do a good job...
There lies my biggest sore point, its ok to pay more but if the official service center cant do tire alignment correctly, I also lose faith in any mechanic. I was amazed at the amount of money (that i approved) the company spent on JUST TIRES of an avanza velos.

PROTIPS I do for my own car:
Try and buy your own parts and consumables. You own engine oil, your own brake pads etc. There is a risk of buying wrong parts or fake parts or non-working parts tho. Engine Oil is the minimum everyone should do and safest.

Always ask for the replaced parts to be returned. Its yours. Some exceptions apply (like alternators n batteries which is resold and you are actually discounted the sale price). Ask to see the parts at minimum. That includes empty bottles of engine oil/brakefluid/radiatorfluid and so on that you brought.

 

[jstar]

The president signed Presidential Regulation Number 55 of 2019 on the acceleration of battery-based Electric Vehicles (EVs) for road transportation.

In the EV roadmap of the country, two million EVs are targeted to be operated on Indonesian roads by 2025.

I don’t have the actual amount of EVs on the Indonesian roads, but according to the Transportation Ministry's data, as of July 2022, a total of 22,671 EVs had received type test registration certification. In March of this year, there were only 16,060 units so 6,611 EVs were sold in four months.

In absolute numbers that sounds like a lot, but if you compare that to Norway or the Netherlands it’s not that impressive. China obviously is hors compétion. So, two million? Hmm, I don’t see it happening until they force the hand of Toyota and Honda.

For the G20 Summit in Bali, EVs were used for transportation of delegates etc.: 134 units of the Lexus UX 300e, 46 units of the Hyundai Genesis G80 and 300 units of the Wuling EV.

A Tesla is very rare, you see quite a lot of the (cute baby room colors) Wuling EV, only Hyundai is currently really trying to sell EVs here. Esp. the Ioniq5 you see quite a lot on Jakarta’s roads. It‘s a bit similar to Lancia’s Delta but bigger. Hyundai claims it’s based on their Pony. Yeah Right.

 

[TonyVov]

It would be wonderful if any realistic EV option was open to the regular car users.
Taking the tailpipe off the vehicle is a very valuable step forward for Indonesia and pollution
The Wuling vehicle looks and feels like a toy at the price level of an Avanza. Nothing will happen until realistic options are made available at competitive costs to petrol versions. Keeping my eyes open but been so disappointed at the current offerings. Good for the elite, but not for the country.

 

[jstar]

It would be wonderful if any realistic EV option was open to the regular car users.
Taking the tailpipe off the vehicle is a very valuable step forward for Indonesia and pollution
The Wuling vehicle looks and feels like a toy at the price level of an Avanza. Nothing will happen until realistic options are made available at competitive costs to petrol versions. Keeping my eyes open but been so disappointed at the current offerings. Good for the elite, but not for the country.

Of course that problem not only applies to Indonesia. The manufacturers make more profit on the higher segment. If you look at Western Europe for instance, the electric cars are far too expensive for private buyers and are mostly ’sold’ in lease contracts as company cars. That‘s for the employee also advantageous since tax breaks are available for cars with zero emission.

Even hybrid cars are expensive here in South East Asia. Look at a Toyota Corolla; you can’t even buy it in Malaysia, in the Philippines and Indonesia the hybrid is $3,000-$5,000 more expensive than the ‘normal’ version and in Singapore you’d pay a whopping SGD 40,000 more.

I got my wife convinced to look into the Alphard hybrid version. She found out the car had to be manufactured in Japan and it took months for it to get here. It was also much more (30%) expensive than a non-hybrid. And last but not least the Toyota/Astra organization here even discouraged buying the car since they don't have a lot of (technicians with) experience with this technology. They sell one or two of these cars per year or so. Gila, that’s what she called me.

So I feel your frustration.