Proton's Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) 2010 win

Watch this video by APRC TV and see what Proton has been up to lately :

As the jury is still out about the latest Proton model, Inspira, which is a re-badged of Mitsubishi Lancer, it seems that Proton does have hope in other part of the world. Motorsport that is. With Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson in different cars, Proton managed to get a One - Two podium finish at the China APRC Rally. Both of them used Proton Neo which is the current wanna-be rally racer choice of Malaysian highway, if you ask me.

If you listen closely to the youtube video, it would have said, "the new Proton team" which shows that Proton did made an impression in the APRC rally circuit as they managed to secure that podium finish. Proton still has a long way to go as they need to win at least the Asia Cup to be more noticeable but this is a great way to start.

Whatever comments or any feelings you have on our first national car maker, Proton, I think they do have vehicle models they should emphasise more like the Proton Neo which is quite popular among urban youth. Everyone knows that the first car that most working adult  in Malaysia  would buy when they start to work is a Proton. So, don't deny they do makes life easier for the average Malaysians.

So, why don't we applaud them for a job well-done.

p/s : I too think the Inspira is a Mitsubishi rip-off but it is still a good business coup by Proton.


p/p/s : All photos and video are from FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship website.

Peugeot 207 : A car to rival those other B-segment sedans out there

On November 3rd, I was given the opportunity to go and see the launch of the new sedan by Peugeot. Peugeot 207 was launched with a simple ceremony but had a few dignitaries like Malaysia  former Prime Minister (who was kept being mentioned as The Fourth Prime Minister) and a few representatives from Automobiles Peugeot like Mr. Gregoire Olivier who is their CEO of Asian Operations. Tun Dr. Mahathir was the one who launched the event and lauded Nasim Sdn Bhd as one of the successful AP vendor which came good and became a car producer itself other than a car distributor.

Peugeot has given the rights to distribute Peugeot brand in Malaysia to Nasim  Sdn Bhd and Peugeot 207 is the first Peugeot to be produced in Malaysia. Malaysia will also As well as Malaybe Peugeot manufacturing hub for the region. sia, there is plan for it to be exported to other right-hand drive Asian market like Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. According to SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, CEO of Nasim and Joint Group Executive Chairman of the Naza Group of Companies. Peugeot 207 will be exported immediately and will be featured at 2011 Bangkok International Motor Show. The target is for a sale of between 5000 to 6000 units within 2011.

What is the feature of Peugeot 207?

It has a 1.6L engine, leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic air-conditioning with pollen filter, an instrument panel made by luxury-watch maker, Jaeger, a multifunction display, sensor-activated automatic headlights and wiper.

Other than that, it has an MP3/WMA CD player with USB and auxiliary functionality connected to a six-speaker system, Bluetooth connectivity which can be paired with a handphone, semi-bucket front seats, a boot with 420 liters capabilities and of course the sleek body design of Peugeot which has 15-inch Interlagos alloy wheels. 

In term of engine, it has a 1.6L engne which produces 110 hp at 5,800 rpm and 149 Nm of torque at 4000rpm. It has hydraulic variable power steeringwith a four-speed adaptive automatic transmission which comes with Tiptronic capabilities so it can be manually driven. It has a sport mode transmission and even a traction mode to provide more grip on slippery surface. Fuel consumption which is at 6.1-liters per 100km (mixed cycle) is quite good.

It also has ABS, electronic brake distribution, emergency brake assist, 2 smart airbags, a rolling code immobilizer, 'follow-me-home' functionality for the front headlights and auto-hazard warning lights upon sudden and heavy-braking. 

For me, with the price of RM72,888-00 on the road price, this is a value-for-money car and as the title said is a car to rival those other B-segment sedans car out there.

Car as tax deductible

I am not and accountant or even a tax lawyer. So, please lay off the comment on my understanding of tax which is skewed more towards how I can save from paying the government than how I can plan my tax. Basically, I think the term 'tax planning' is the same as 'I am not going to pay the government money and all I want is for the money I earn to be enjoyed by me (and maybe those close to me)'. So, that is why this year, for the past few blogposts, you can see how much money I have spent in keeping my staff entertained. You do know that any money spent on your staff can be deducted from your tax right? All of it, except for transportation (I wonder why?)

Anyway, talking about transportation, we have decided to finally buy a car for our company. Not just any car. It can even be described as one of the few dream cars a few in the world would love to have. And no, I am not buying it for myself but as one of the partner in this two-person show of a legal firm, we have unanimously decided for my beautiful partner to have one of her dream car as our first company car.

In Malaysia, any company, even a partnership like us, can get a tax deduction of RM150,000-00 for any car which purchase price is below RM150,000-00 but that amount will be cut to RM100,000-00 if the car is priced at more than  RM150,000-00. I wonder where do they get the RM150,000-00 from but I suspect it have to do with the price of the most expensive Malaysian car which is just around RM110,000-00. Then the car must also be brand new as any second-hand or reconditioned car, the deduction may be cut into half of the amount spent by the company. And if there is a car loan involved then the amount which can be deducted from that year tax is the amount spent in paying the deposit and the car loan. Not the total purchase price of the car. Clear?

Some will question the choice of the car as too flashy or too impracticable for a company car but it must be pointed out that we are still below the age of 40 and we are not the type who are driven around but we are those who love to drive. So, a sport car for my partner is just perfect.

And it does not mean that we are so cash rich that we can just buy the car with one eye close (like a few of our politicians) but there is this invention called a car loan where you only have to pay a certain amount of cash and get a loan for the balance of the purchase price. Of course, we do have to watch out on our cash flow in which we have to maintain a certain collection momentum in order for us to be able to maintain the monthly payment. Maybe one day when a few of our corporate clients really appreciate our contribution to their bottom line, we can buy it in cash....

By the way, here is the look of the new car with my partner beside it which hopefully will be out in a few week. And mind you, it is NOT a brand new car but as is usual in Malaysia, it is a reconditioned car which has a warranty of 3 years from the car dealership.

Surrogates is a movie about Twitter gone wild

Okay, of course it is a bit far-fetched. How can Twitter where people can meet and interact without meeting each other except through their avatar or persona be compared with a movie about people meet and interact in the real world through their persona which are robots. Wait! Isn't that the same?

In the real world, it is technologically impossible. Robots are robots and very much unlike human. Wait! The one in the movie is the same too. They are also very much unlike humans.

What actually differentiate the movie from reality is the fact that the robots are controlled by humans which can feel whatever the robots feel. The humans can do anything without contracting any disease, can have sex without getting pregnant, can jump higher, can do impossible things and they can be repaired like a car. The humans are just the driver. Until a weapon comes into existence which can kill the controller.

That is when Bruce Willis character comes into the picture. My wife did mentioned, he is far more good looking than his robots. As for others, it is the other wat around.

This is a good science fiction movie albeit quite short. Think about what it try to convey then ask yourself whether is this the future that you will want....

p/s - Thanks to Nuffnang for the tickets

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

For the first time since I write everyday for this blog, I will not write anything of substance except to say that today is Eidul Fitri in Malaysia and all over the world, being celebrated by all Muslims and on this happy occasion, all will be driving around, meeting friends, having meal together.

Just a reminder to drive carefully and get rested before you start of any long journey. All things will be better if done in moderation and at half the speed...

Drive safely...

A few of the Millionaires Next Door are known to me

My wife and I are currently reading the book The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. Both are Ph.D holders and the book seem to be written like a Ph.D presentation paper. It is full of charts and graphs and numbers and it can actually makes your head spin from all these facts they are trying to present. It is actually an old book and maybe irrelevant to some as the whole title of the book is The Millionaire Next Door : The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy. Nowadays, the word Wealthy and America rarely come together in a sentence. I actually bought the book in a bargain bin at a local bookstore, just a fraction of a new book, making it  a worthy buy indeed.

However, there are some lessons which makes me realised I know a few of these millionaires the book is trying to be worth more than all those high-flyers like singers, actors, artistes, internet billionaires, sheikhs, sultans and all those rare people, unlucky people like me will trying to emulate their lifestyle. I have seen the traits of frugality and investment savvy in their blood. They are not someone I get to know later in life or even through various channels you get to know new people. They are people who I have been getting advices all my life and they are still giving me advices. I actually made money from their advices.

The two people I know who have are the stereotype of millionaires as said in the book is none other than my mother and my eldest brother. They save. They invest wisely. They do not drive expensive cars. They do buy unnecessary expensive items just for the sake of having it on their hands or in their house. They do not look like millionaires. Their worth are more than a few of those who drive expensive cars and live in affluent neighbourhood. They have been millionaires (or just short of a few hundreds) long before they reach the age where they need to retire. They can live without doing any work at least for a whole year.

An investment can even be a house like this

When I read in the book how millionaires in America (net worth millionaires) live and save, I realised I actually do not need to read the book at all. I have real life examples of how you can build your wealth through prudent spending and smart investment. I have actually invested a few of the money I made when I was still in my twenties through knowledge of the real estate and the stock market. As a lawyer, I have a lot of inside information that people can only dream of having. By owning a legal firm, there are a lot of people who line up just for us to take advantage of their position. I made my money when I sold a property I bought for RM75,000-00 at RM100,000-00 but the problem is what I did with my RM25,000-00 profit. If I had read this book much earlier (which was already in existence then), I might have not used the money to elevate my lifestyle but I might have reinvested it back.

Ah, well. Better late than never....

Ferrari California : The Cheapest Ferrari?

...if you consider RM1.7 Million (USD500k) as cheap then this is one of the cheapest Ferrari ever.

Was invited to the launching of the car last Thursday thanks to a new friend who had to do with the company that sold the car. I had been to an event thrown by them once when they had a ball opening the new showroom for Ferrari in Malaysia and I expected a good evening during this time too. It was a bit of a letdown as they trimmed the event from a full blown dinner party to a cocktail style reception but it was still grand nonetheless. Here are some pictures of the car and the launch :

The car coming out from behind the curtain

From behind

From the front

I am a bit critical of the look of the car as it seems that it does not look like a Ferrari but more of a certain other sport car from another company. As Ferrari is more known for a certain look which makes it looking like a mean machine which has no mercy if you ever had the chance to be in front of it.

For this new Ferrari, though affordable and is enough for me to dream of owning it (if I can sell all my investments and sleep in the car), I just might not as I don't think people will realise that it is a Ferrari. And having a name like Ferrari California. Hmmmm....

 

p/s : It is named California as it supposed to show the free spiritedness like Californians... (whatever that means)

How not to launch a new car... (BMW Z4 post)

This is the post about the launch of the new BMW Z4 at the Pavilion Mall on Friday, 19.6.09, which was one day later than the official launch date of BMW Z4 in Malaysia. I managed to tag along although I was not invited. Although I hold a valid lifestyle card which coincide with BMW. My business partner got the invite and I tagged along. Just to see what the difference did BMW made to the James Bond car. The invitation gave a choice for us to come on 18th or 19th and as 19th was a Friday night, we chose that date as we can straight away go paint the town red afterwards.

The problem with the launch of a car, it is always not that exciting. I have seen a few BMWs or other cars being shown for the first time but this one really takes the cake in being unimaginative and boring. The launch. Not the car. Give me the car any day, and I know how exciting my life will be...

Z4 was launched in German with a partnership with a street artist by the name of  Robin Rhodes from South Africa. He use things to paint while people can interact with the art and in this case, he used the tyre of the BMW to paint on a very big canvas. See the BMW on top with some supposedly paint at its tyre? That was how the painting was done. I got to know of this fact thanks to the BMW magazine I received 2,3 days before the event. 

So, that was what I imagine how the event will go on. How wrong can I be. There were food, which were excellent. Adoring crowd which I bet were full of who's who if only I can get my hand on the guest list (Malaysian VIPs tend to want to not be recognised). There was the car (3 of it in which 2 were for the crowd to play and take picture with). There were the door gifts, which I will recycle for my staff. There was the fashion show. And was it. Oh, and a speech by one of BMW people.

Where was the art in the whole equation? Oh, I bet they think it was too dangerous to do that in a mall. Can't they at least call some artist which can imagine something up? I mean, this is a roadster which James Bond totalled in one or two film. Have some imagination guys. You are supposed to be the ultimate driving machine.

If I ever buy the car, it wouldn't have been because of this 'exciting' event...

Megatron vs. Optimus on the highway of Malaysia

 Where art thou, Megatron?

This is what my wife hopes to see everytime she is stuck on the infamous Malaysian highway, especially if it was bad. I mean, an hour an inch is bad. Real bad. Especially if you are trying to chase your timesheet at the office at 9am or better yet, those who are chasing an appointment. 

Traffic jam is a fact of life in big cities, the whole world over. They say in Asian cities like Jakarta and Bangkok, it was even worse. The problem is, I am always at these cities on holidays and my experience does not give a fair view of the morning drive situation there. I bet, if I do work there, I may think that it is just another daily routine. 

 

A car by the roadside can even cause a traffic jam

As I own my own business, I am rarely caught in traffic jam but when I do need to get somewhere fast, I will be cursing whatever causing the jam. 

That is why when you passed the place where the jam started to ease and see that at that point, there is no credible explanation (like Optimus fighting Megatron) to explain why there was a jam in the first place, it fustrate you. I know and use radio (nowadays Twitter) to keep track of jams around town but usually, it will be over by the time you reached the place where the jam was supposed to be. By that time, either you have been stuck there for quite some times or you never know whether there was a jam or not as you have paid and used a toll road to get to your appointment. 

Just another cost of living which you have to take into account to live in a city like Kuala Lumpur.

p/s - On another note, watched Transformers : Revenge of the  Fallen, just now and they still fight on streets which would have cause one hell of a jam if it ever happens

Z4 launch and PJ Challenge Bloggers 'K'arnival

I have a few pictures to share from both events but will only do a proper postings later.

1) BMW Z4 Launch was in Pavilion on the 19th of June 2009. The cars are there until 25th for people to take pictures with (that was what most people do) and drool...

 

  

  

The stage at different angles

 

  

 The new Z4 roaster, hardtop...only RM411,+++ (USD114+++)

2) PJ Challenge Bloggers 'K'arnival was at Jaya 33 Mall, Petaling Jaya, and was on the 20th June 2009

 

The place, Jaya 33

 

The stage

 

A few aunties and a man, doing line dancing

 

Colouring contest

 

Face painting

 

Food!!!

 

Infamous bloggers doing what they do best

 

The presenters for Blog 411

 

In this slide, my face is there (see it? 2 faces from the Amanda's face)

That is it for this post but will do more real posting in a few days. Wait for it...

When Felipe Massa is the surprise

Yesterday, it seems that I had not just one event, which I had the chance to say farewell to the current Prime Minister of Malaysia on his final few days (supposedly) but I also attended the opening of the biggest showroom of one of the most desirable brand (as was said by the MC) outside of Italy. It was the opening of a marquee space for the sale of Ferrari cars in Malaysia. It was an important event for the dealership of Naza Italia which had seen the passing of it's founder a few months ago. The son had taken over this part of the company and interestingly a famous car manufacturer still kept it's promise though I bet the late father was the one who closed the deal. Maybe the father knew how to impart the knowledge of his business to his children.

This week is the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend in Malaysia. 5th of April will see Malaysia hosting the event for the 11th time and hoping to host it still for years to come. That was why most heavyweights in the industry of motorsport, either locally or internationally, were there at the dinner yesterday. Just imagine that the surprise appearance of Felipe Massa when guests were having their second course. The dinner was short with some awards exchanging hands. Some awards were due to the opening of the showroom. As it was the biggest, Malaysian's World of Record gave their acknowledgement which include the largest gathering of Ferrari car owners in Malaysia ever. And it seems that Malaysians own nearly 350 units of Ferrari. Impressive.

The guests were all VIPs in their own right and as they milled in those who do not own a Ferrari camwhore themselves among the cars. As the event also honoured Maseratti, which is my favourite car after watching Entourage for a few seasons, I just couldn't resist looking at the show unit. Then at the end, I did went around with my business partner to snap a few pictures although we had to wait those who couldn't just snap one but was hogging each car one after another pictures. It was fun nonetheless and seeing a Ferrari up close makes me understand why people think they are THE car to own.

Someone's Masserati

Just some cars....

Felipe Massa came in this

 

My partner with her dream car

 A guy with his weekend car