Archive for April, 2004
Naza Kia To Spend RM100 Mln To Upgrade Outlets
GROUP Managing Director SM Nasimuddin SM Amin showing the KIA Picanto logo at the launching of KIA Picanto 1.1 Mini MPV in Ipoh, April 19. - Utusanpix.
IPOH April 20 - Naza Kia Sdn Bhd plans to spend about RM100 million this year to upgrade its 20 sales outlets nationwide as part of its efforts to capture 10 percent of the total industry volume.
Its Group Managing Director, Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin, said that each of the Naza-owned outlets would be given a RM5 million face lift under the 3S concept (Sales, Service, Spareparts).
He said that this does not include its expansion plan to increase its network to around 100 sales outlets from the existing 84.
Last year, Naza Kia held seven percent of the market share, selling a total of 17,287 units. This year, it was targeting about 43,000 units from the Motoring Association of Malaysia’s projected vehicle volume sales of 435,000.
“Based on the 3Ss concept, our new outlets will be established in major market centres throughout the country to provide quality customer service,” he said after launching KIA Picanto 1.1 Mini MPV at its 3S facility here Tuesday.
Also present were Yong-Mo Ahn, Kia Motors Director Overseas Sales Group 2.
Yong said that Malaysia remains one of the largest markets for Kia Motors outside South Korea and that all its models were well-received in the country.
He said that the Kia Picanto, which was launched in Europe three months ago, has received tremendous response there and was expected to make similar impact in Malaysia.
Nasimuddin said the company would continue to bring smaller capacity models to Malaysia and hoped to achieve a 6.0 percent share in the 1.1cc segment.
However, the Kia Picanto (a French word piquant meaning spicy) would not pose any direct competition to models produced by Perodua due to their vast price differences.
He said that there was great demand for the RM46,000 Kia Picanto (automatic) as dealers have asked for 10,000 units although Kia Motors have only given them 4,000 this year due to the strong demand worldwide.
“In fact, we have no problem selling any Kia Motors brands but we faced shortage of supply … the waiting list is long for Naza Ria and Carens. We hope to overcome this when our assembly plant in Kedah is operational this year,” he added.
As for the 3S outlet in Jalan Lahat here, Nasimuddin said that the company was convinced it could tap at least 20 percent of market share in Perak compared to 10 percent of the total 23,000 units registed last year.
Naza Group of Companies began operations in 1976 trading in imports of used and reconditioned cars and Tuesday it is selling various brands such as as Mercedes Benz, Peugeot, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Kia, Ferrari and Maserati.
Utusan Malaysia
We Can Surprise Our Opponents, Says Simon
KUALA LUMPUR April 9 - Amprex Motorsports new driver Norman Simon has faith in his currently developed Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT racing car that he will use in this season’s Japan Grand Touring Championship (JGTC).
The 27-year-old German said that with the new engine, he believed that Amprex could make a few surprises in the seven-round championship, the first round of which started in Okayama Prefecture, west of Tokyo, last week.
“I’ve tested the car for more than 12 months and I think we can. It will be difficult to win but I think we can surprise many people,” he told Bernama here Friday.
The Kuala Lumpur-based Amprex team, owned by a Japanese driver Genji Hashimoto, has bought the new Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT to participate in the GT500 class for this year’s JGTC.
Hashimoto will partner Simon, who signed a one-year contract with the team, this season as his previous partner Charles Kwan of Hong Kong has left the team to concentrate on the Porsche Carrera Asia Cup.
However, Amprex has to miss the first two rounds of the championship as the new Murcielago will only be ready in mid-May.
Simon, the test driver for Lamborghini, said he had no high expectation in his first season ever in JGTC but to find out how Murcielago fit into the championship.
“The car is very good, very powerful. It’s currently being developed by Hans Reiter Engineering in Germany, near Munich,” he added.
Simon had only two minor experiences racing in Asia - in a go-kart race in the famous Suzuka Circuit 12 years ago and the Macau Grand Prix in 1997 where he finished eighth overall in the Formula 3 race.
The German, who started with go-kart race at the age of nine, developed into a car racer with his involvement in the Formula Ford, Formula Opel, Formula 3 and then the touring car championship.
He had competed twice in the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race and finished sixth overall last year in the lowest class NGT while representing a Dutch team, Spyker.
Meanwhile, Hashimoto said as the team prepared themselves for the Japan GT Round 3 in Sepang Circuit on June 18 and 19, they would test their new car in the FIA GT championship in Europe.
“We will enter one of the FIA GT Europe leg hopefully in the end of May in our final preparation for the Japan GT Sepang round. We need to test the new car effectively,” he said.
Utusan Malaysia
Schumacher Strolls To Victory In Bahrain
FERRARI driver Michael Schumacher leads the pack of the Bahrain race track at the start of the first Bahrain Grand Prix, April 4. - AFPpix.
MANAMA April 4 - World champion Michael Schumacher strolled to victory in the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix here Sunday to preserve his 100 percent start to the season with his third successive victory.
Ferrari driver Schumacher led teammate Rubens Barrichello off the front row of the grid and the pair were never troubled as they scored the perfect result in the first-ever race in the Middle East.
Schumacher came home 1.3 sec ahead of Barrichello to add to his wins in Australia and Malaysia this year as he recorded the 73rd win of his career.
BAR-Honda driver Jenson Button claimed his second successive podium after snatching third from Juan Pablo Montoya in the closing stages of the race.
Montoya nursed his car home with brake problems but was left without points as car after car overtook him and left him in 13th place. Renault’s Jarno Trulli was fourth ahead of BAR’s Takuma Sato and Fernando Alonso, in the second Renault.
Ralf Schumacher completed a troubled race in seventh place after benefiting from Montoya’s problems and the retirement of McLaren’s David Coulthard late in the race, while Jaguar’s Mark Webber took eighth.
McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen’s start to the season also went from bad to worse as he retired once again when his Mercedes engine failed after just seven laps.
The McLarens were two of only three cars to retire from the race, leaving the team with four points from the opening three races. Minardi’s Zsolt Baumgartner was the other to exit the race.
Pole-sitter Schumacher made a good start and led teammate Barrichello off the grid, with Montoya retaining third place.
Sato made a quick start to move up to fourth ahead of Ralf Schumacher, while at the back Raikkonen made up five places to run 14th at the end of the first lap.
Alonso was forced to pit for a new nose cone after a collision in the pack and was left only ahead of Minardi’s Gianmaria Bruni, who started the race late after encountering a problem.
Ralf Schumacher was shunted off the track attempting to pass Sato, but was able to continue in the race after a pit-stop to assess the damage to his Williams car.
But Raikkonen’s miserable start to the season continued when his engine blew up with fire blazing from the back of his McLaren as he retired for the third race in succession.
Trulli moved up to fourth after the first pit-stops behind Schumacher, Barrichello and Montoya with Button going past Sato for fifth place after the Japanese driver made a mistake and pitted with damage to his front wing.
Ralf Schumacher attempted to leave his pit-box early after his second stop and ran down two of his crew, although they were not seriously hurt.
McLaren’s Coulthard moved up to sixth ahead of Sato after the second round of stops with Mark Webber holding the final points-scoring position.
The quick Alonso finally found a way past on lap 31 after an intense battle to take eighth spot from the Jaguar driver.
And Sato then muscled his way into sixth at the expense of Coulthard as they went wheel-to-wheel.
Button grabbed fourth position from Trulli after a quick final stop and he closed in on third-placed Montoya as Schumacher and Barrichello continued to stroll towards a one-two finish.
Alonso, meanwhile, was also quick into the pit-lane as he jumped up to seventh place ahead of Coulthard.
Button then moved up to third as Montoya struggled, and Trulli also glided past and into fourth place.
Coulthard was a late retirement when his car stopped in the pit-lane to hand eighth place to Ralf Schumacher. - AFP
Utusan Malaysia