Episodes
Cruise Control zooms in again with news of car launches involving Mercedes, BYD and surprise, surprise, MG! MG returns to our shores with an EV in the form of MG4. This sleek car gains the attention of Daniel Fernandez and we end up comparing this car to another stellar release from Build Your Dreams, the BYD Seal. It's more news in the second part of the show, as the Volvo C4 Recharge received an update, while Triumph releases their latest Scrambler models, the Scrambler 400 X and the...
Published 03/06/24
Cruise Control returns this week with news of the brand new SUVs that have finally hit Malaysian showrooms: Range Rover's Evoque 2024 and the 2024 Kia Carnival. We also discuss what we can expect from the recently announced Tank 300 from GWM that will be entering the local market soon, and share our speculations on the Mitsubishi Xforce now that the model has been put into production in Indonesia. Then, we shift gears to electric cars as we take a look at the top 10 most searched EVs in...
Published 02/21/24
It's a two-man show this week on Cruise Control, as Ali and Daniel go through the news in the automotive world. Peugeot 408 will be released in Malaysia, according to Daniel's "investigation", while Thailand will be a hub for Japanese manufacturers to start producing EVs for the South East Asian region. On the global front, Audi announced the 2024 edition of Q7, which is gorgeous, while Alfa Romeo will be releasing an urban SUV called Alfa Romeo Milano soon. Speaking of SUVs, Daniel shares...
Published 02/14/24
Our Cruise Control trio are back this week previewing the latest car launches in the local market. Hot off the factory line is the 2024 edition of Mazda's CX-5, a brand best-seller that's been upgraded with new styling, technologies and features. Elsewhere, Mitsubishi are going on a road tour to promote a limited edition variant of the Triton pick up truck, now improved with a host of cosmetic upgrades. We also look forward to the arrival of GAC's GS3, the Chinese automakers arriving straight...
Published 01/31/24
Cruise Control returns this week with a couple of new luxury SUVs from continental giants, as Mercedes, BMW and Audi launched the GLA 200, the X5 PHEV and the SQ8 e-Tron respectively. We also look ahead to an electrified version of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which has just been confirmed for production. Fresh off Perodua's visit to Italy recently, we discuss the prospects of Perodua's electrification plans, given our current EV infrastructure. We round off this episode with a used car guide,...
Published 01/24/24
The Cruise Control guys regroup this week to take you through another week of local automotive news. The arrival of the new Honda CR-V has sent tongues wagging, and this week Honda revealed a hybrid variant of the popular SUV, costing just below the sweet spot of RM200k mark. With Chinese New Year on the horizon, Great Wall Motors are offering a discount on any purchase of the ORA Good Cat, with cash rebates and wall charger thrown in to sweeten the deal. In China, Tesla made the headlines...
Published 01/17/24
Cruise Control is back this week with news from in and around the Asean automotive sector. Daniel and Ali look ahead to a couple of new players entering the Malaysian market, as Chery's subsidiary Jaecoo gave an exclusive preview of the Jaecoo J7, a luxurious SUV vying in the same segment as Chery's own Omoda 5. Elsewhere, new EV company XPENG are also in talks with a Malaysian distributor, as are another EV proponent Zeekr, who just set up shop in Singapore. With these exciting movements to...
Published 01/10/24
Cruise Control is back in 2024 promising the latest coverage in the local and global automotive industry. Our trio of petrolheads kick off the new year following the launch of the PADU Database, which is intended for targeted petrol and diesel subsidies; Honda's big EV move in Thailand, which we hope to spill over to our market sooner rather than later; plus an exclusive look at Xiaomi's impending launch of their EV supercar! We also discuss the legitimacy of vehicle testing procedures, in...
Published 01/03/24
Our Cruise Control trio returns this week bearing news, views and reviews of the local and regional automotive market. First off, we saw the launch of the Mercedes Benz EQE 500 4Matic, in all its SUV glory. This variant accompanies its luxury sedan sibling for more family oriented uses. Speaking of family, we also hear that Honda are preparing a hybrid powertrain for its once popular Odyssey. The new gen family wagon now comes with 7 seater configurations, and should be fully imported from...
Published 12/13/23
The Cruise Control trio are back this week with some very good news from the recently concluded Thai Motor Expo in Bangkok. We focus on seven vehicles with a high likelihood of arriving in Malaysian markets soon. Great Wall Motors are keen to add another EV in Malaysia, following the encouraging response to the ORA Good Cat, and the Chinese manufacturers unveiled a sleek electric sedan dubbed as the ORA Lightning Cat, their smartest electric car to date. Volvo also gave a taste of what's to...
Published 12/06/23
Our Cruise Control trio returns this week with a slew of new launches in the local market; a discussion on the future of EVs based on a Rowan Atkinson article as well as a drive review of Toyota's newly minted people mover. Proton have unveiled their new C-segment sedan, as the highly anticipated S70 makes its debut with price points that rival Japanese sedans in the B-segment! Honda also got in on the action, taking bookings for a 6th generation CR-V, which comes complete with a hybrid...
Published 11/29/23
Cruise Control is back this week previewing new car launches in the local and regional markets. Locally, our Prime Minister launched a new electric MPV, as the Maxus MIFA 9 makes its debut. Chinese carmakers continue to create a ripple in the Asean market, after Changan announced their arrival in the Thai market with a new basecamp located in the Rayong province. Globally, Volvo continues to blaze the EV trail, this time with a beautiful family MPV dubbed the EM90. We also discuss the...
Published 11/15/23
Our Cruise Control trio are back this week with reports from the local automotive industry, previewing new releases in the market, discussing local EV discounts plus a compare and contrast between three new seven-seater SUVs currently in the market. News-wise, it's the Germans that are dominating the headlines again. First Mercedes Benz launched the latest GLC and GLE Coupe with some glorious upgrades from the previous editions. BMW are also in on the action with the announcement of the i5...
Published 11/08/23
Cruise Control returns this week with previews of what's new in the local automotive market, plus a quick glance at the recently concluded Tokyo Mobility Show and a discussion on EV production in the Western markets. Locally, BYD is making big moves with the opening of two new showrooms, following plans to open up in eight Malaysian cities in the coming year. Maserati announced a high performance race car dubbed as the Cielo; and German giants BMW also bring back their top-end SUV, the...
Published 11/01/23
Cruise Control is back this week bringing you the latest in the local automotive headlines, plus a recap of Daniel's visit to Chery's headquarters in China. We also review the new facelift edition of the Porsche Cayenne. Locally, Toyota continue their productive year with updates to two of their popular MPVs, announcing the new and improved Alphard and Vellfire, both are set to arrive fully imported, replete with luxury refinements in the cabin. Jaguar Land Rover also announced a new Range...
Published 10/25/23
This week on Cruise Control, Ali and Daniel go through the headlines in the automotive world both locally and globally. After months of speculation, the Geely Mercedes-Benz electrifying collaboration finally arrive on our shores, with the unveiling of Smart #1 Brabus edition. We also saw a facelift edition of Porsche Cayenne, now locally assembled with tons of new bells and whistles. We round off the show with an illuminating discussion on the state of local journalism with regards to...
Published 10/18/23
Cruise Control returns this week for a review of the latest headlines in the automotive industry, plus a glowing review of a beautiful Audi EV. Tesla rocked the local headlines yet again, this week with the opening of their showroom in Cyberjaya, which is not quite a 3S Centre just yet. We also saw the arrival of the ultra-limited Honda Civic Type R - only 19 units available in Malaysia! In the two wheels arena, Triumph and Ducati both announced updated models of their superbikes, some of...
Published 10/04/23
Cruise Control is back with the week's roundup of automotive news, a discussion about factory warranty periods as well as a review of Kia's beautiful new EV, the Niro. It's a quiet week as far as new car launches go in Malaysia, but there's plenty to be excited about in the two-wheels arena when Ducati and Royal Enfield made announcements of their latest models respectively. The mighty Italian outfit launched their new and powerful touring motorbike, the Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour,...
Published 09/27/23
Cruise Control returns this week looking at the latest headlines in the local automotive scene. Hot on the list of things to discuss is the issue of cloned cars; where do they come from and what you can do to make sure you don't accidentally own one in your garage! Plenty to discuss, but not before going over fresh news about a facelift edition of the popular Toyota Yaris; Vespa's RM 99k model; the much sought after Kawasaki Ninja ZR as well as a 'Lite' variant of the incoming Hyundai Ioniq...
Published 09/20/23
Our Cruise Control trio returns this week with some notable headlines from a rather quiet week in the local automotive industry. It looks like Lamborghini have jumped on the EV bandwagon with the launch of their hyper-powered Revuelto, a supercar without the roar of a petrol engine. American giants Tesla have opened local bookings for the facelift edition of their signature Model 3, with starting prices that are set to shock the market yet again. Tesla's competitive local pricing, coupled...
Published 09/13/23
This week on Cruise Control we delve into the latest headlines in the local and regional automotive markets, plus a review of Volkswagen's iconic hatchback. We start with a quick check-in on the sales figures at Honda Malaysia, as the ASEAN focused WR-V excited the market since its launch two months ago. In business news, Sime Darby Auto Selection's acquisition of shares in UMW caught us unaware, agreeing a deal that ultimately made them the biggest conglomerate in the local market. We also...
Published 08/30/23
Cruise Control is back this week with the latest headlines from in and around the automotive world. It's been a bright week for Chinese manufacturers as Great Wall Motors announced a new pick up truck, whilst fellow countrymen Zontes dropped two nippy little scooter bikes to entice Malaysians. We also take a first look at a souped-up edition of a popular motorbike model in Malaysia, as Yamaha's Y Suku gets a few cosmetic upgrades. Our conversation turns into premium electric SUVs as Daniel...
Published 08/23/23
Cruise Control soldiers on this week despite being a person down, as always bringing you the latest news in the automotive world, as well as Daniel's experience test driving BYD's latest model to leap onto our shores, the BYD Dolphin! As the competition gets hotter in the local EV landscape, (and perhaps feeling the heat from BYD's Dolphin), Hozon has decided to drop the price of their Netta V from RM99K to RM80K. In the petrol realm, Honda announced the 5th generation of Honda City. Sporting...
Published 08/16/23
Cruise Control returns this week previewing two new BMWs in our local market, peep at Volkswagen's new GTi logo while we bid goodbye to Volvo's iconic wagons. BMW started the week bright with announcements for their most powerful electric SUV to date, unveiling the iX M60, together with another new model, launching the petrol powered sports car M2 Coupe in the same week. We also discuss what the future holds for Volkswagen's iconic Golf GTi, and respond to Volvo's plan to discontinue its...
Published 08/09/23
Cruise Control returns this week as our petrolheads get excited about BYD's latest EV offering, plus a quick peep into the used car market for a 4-year-old Proton X70! The local automotive market was set alight by BYD last week when they launched a new compact EV, dubbed the Dolphin. With its base price below one-hundred-thousand Ringgit mark, Daniel expects this model to fly off the shelves just like the Atto 3. We also look ahead to the arrival of a new generation of Honda CR-V, this time...
Published 08/02/23