Automark

PROTON has started 2022 with a bang and the company on its way to having another fantastic year. The company’s state of the art production line in Tanjung Malim has started rolling out the Proton X50 after assembly lines were affected by the recent floods.

“Today is a special day because less than two weeks after the floods disrupted operations for many of our parts suppliers, we have been able to restart Proton X50 production at Tanjung Malim. This was only made possible by the close cooperation between PROTON and its vendors and is an example of how we can work together to overcome an issue that affected thousands of people,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.

To help expedite recovery efforts, volunteers consisting of Proton staff assisted in clean-up operations at several supplier facilities. They also lent a helping hand to fellow staffers whose homes were damaged by flood waters.

“The floods affected the livelihoods and homes of many families in PROTON’s local community, but it was during these trying times that our sense of responsibility came to the fore and we stepped forward to help anyone we could. The quick restart of production also means we will have more stock to fulfil orders from our customers, so we are looking forward to having a great start to 2022” added Roslan Abdullah.

Source: Proton LinkedIn

Converting to electric is inevitable, says the R&D Chief

In a move that clearly marks the end of the road for internal combustion engines (ICE), South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai has shut down its engine development division, The Korea Economic Daily (KED) reported, citing industry sources.

Even as we cover updates that move us towards an electric mode of transportation, there is also the other side that does not think that battery-powered electric vehicles are our only options. Even as countries and carmakers came together on the sidelines of COP26 to ban ICE vehicles by 2040.

In the few months since, there has definitely been a change of heart and strategy in Hyundai Motors according to the recent announcement.

According to the KED report, the shutting down of the engine development division is a major step for the South Korean company that began developing its own engines in 1983. It took the company eight years to roll out its Alpha engine while its successors have enabled the company to become one of the five most preferred brands on a global scale. The Namyang Research and Development (R&D) Center focused on engine development employs about 12,000 engineers who have now received a change in their responsibilities. In an email to employees, the newly appointed R&D chief, Park Chung-kook called their own engine development “a great achievement” but called for “a change in the system to create future innovation” as it was “inevitable to convert into electrification,” KED reported.

Systemic changes include changing the focus of teams that focused on powertrains to electrification development, engine design unit to an electrification design center as the powertrain development center changes to the electrification test center. In automotive engineering terms, an electric vehicle does not have a powertrain, since the motors do not generate power from the fuel. Instead, it has a drivetrain that delivers the stored power to drive the wheels.

Park added that the reorganization aimed to help the company with the immediate task of innovating to develop vehicles that dominate the future market. KED reported that EVs are likely to dominate the automobile market by 2030 as against the previously estimated timeline of 2040.

Hyundai will also focus on raw materials for batteries and semiconductors since they also occupy an important place in the automobile supply chain, something that became evident during the pandemic, KED reported.

Only 100 of these lids will be sold worldwide

Are you a massive Suzuki fan? If that’s you, then you’ll definitely want to know more about an extremely limited-edition Suzuki Anniversary helmet your favorite OEM is about to release. Based on the Arai RX-7, this design is limited to just 100 pieces worldwide. Of these, a total of 30 will be sold exclusively via lottery in Japan, according to a very specific process.

There’s an application on Suzuki Japan’s website for those wishing to apply for the Japanese-market lottery. If you’re a fan located elsewhere, you’ll have to contact your local Suzuki dealers to find out what information they have about availability in your region. Suzuki Japan will not ship the helmets it has designated for the Japanese market outside the country, so attempting to enter that lottery won’t help your cause.

If you’re currently located in Japan, here’s how it works: 10 helmets each in sizes M, L, and XL will be available within the country. There’s a lottery application form to fill out, from which the lucky people who will have the opportunity to purchase these helmets will be drawn. Filling out the form only enters your name into the lottery, and does not guarantee anything else.

There are qualifications you must meet to successfully apply, apart from currently living in Japan. You must have a credit card that Suzuki accepts. If you’re a minor, you must have the consent of your parent or guardian. Only one application per person is accepted, and multiple applications from any person will be discarded (although the first one will be kept). The lottery application period in Japan will range between January 11, 2022 and January 25, 2022. A winner will be announced on January 31, 2022, and the winner will be notified via the email address they’ve registered on their application.

Suggested retail price for this helmet is ¥143,000, which works out to about $1,261 as of December 20, 2021. It’s unclear what the MSRP will be for this helmet in other markets where it’s made available. Speaking of which, there’s no information available yet on what other markets will be included. Given Suzuki’s long racing history in the U.K., it seems likely that will be one of the markets where fans will have opportunities to purchase this extremely special piece of protective gear.

The customer’s feedback is the most effective tool to monitor, measure and manage customer satisfaction

Whether you are selling any product or service, satisfied customers are the most important resource and the foundation of your continued business success. They are the energetic fuel and forward force to drive your dealership business to the next highest level.
“Customer Delight occurs when the customer’s Perception of their experience of doing business with you exceeds their Expectation.” In formulaic terms: CD=P>E. Research reveals, only “excellence” in service creates “Apostles,” and only “Apostles” bring long term-customer loyalty.
The impact of customer satisfaction in the commercial marketplace cannot be undervalued. AS Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart said: “There is only one boss — The Customer! And he can fire everybody in the company from the Chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere.”
Understanding and satisfying customer’s needs are the highest priority of any successful dealership business. Getting input from your customers is critical to your success. It does not matter how long or how successful your dealership operations may be, you will never cease to better your business by learning from yo , mirrors and coach for whom you are striving to make things. They’ll sense that you are pursuing a quest for improvement. Your customers want a relentless pursuit of quality service and their feedback is the best way to get in front of your customers without attempting to sell them anything.
Measuring customer’s expectations
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it!” and if you can’t quantify it, you can’t measure it! Understand the customer is the component of measuring service quality. It ultimately includes your willingness and ability to know and understand your customer’s wants, needs, and expectations.
Importance of feedback … “We are here to hear you”
The customer defines your service as a coach and nothing can replace customers telling you how they like to be treated, what you are doing right or wrong and what could be done better. It is a wonderful way to constantly improve your service. You’ll learn everything from how they perceive your attitudes of service to how they feel you keep them informed when they have problems. But you won’t learn anything at all if you don’t ASK.

Feedback Channels
Increasingly, social media has also become the first choice channel for most customers when it comes to communicating with your dealership. From a negative Facebook post to an in-person complaint, there is a proliferation of means for customers to complain to dealership customer service that can be somewhat overwhelming. On the flip side, a positive tweet or Facebook post mentioning good customer service can be a marketing boom for the dealerships, while also providing everyday customers with near real-time feedback.
Customers who fail to express a concern or issue to an on duty manager can easily turn to social media and express their experience to hundreds of their friends or followers. When complaints and accusations are made through social media, the first order of business is resolving the issue outside of the public space and de-escalating.
It’s important to look at customer feedback gathered through social media—both negative and positive—in aggregate, not just at the individual comment level. By collecting a larger pool of feedback data (and also combining and comparing it with other sources of feedback) dealerships can be proactive in mining insights from social media channels. In doing so, customer feedback provides an opportunity to uncover unexpected trends, both negative and positive.
Since customers may not share ideas and problems unless they are asked, the creativity of customers may go unnoticed. According to the Harvard Business Review a 5 percent increase in customer retention yields about 25 percent to 125 percent increase in profits.
By measuring CSI we deepen our relationship with the customers, and we monitor customers’ level of satisfaction, expectations, and perceptions by creating an environment that encourages them to share their ideas and concerns. The seeking of feedback from customers can in itself result in positive customer retention.
Sometimes the most effective method of evaluating customer satisfaction is to evaluate your own performance. If you examine the areas of your dealership that have the most concerns to resolve, you may identify strengths and weaknesses without going to the customer.
Many customer concerns are not effectively addressed when they occur and the customer continues to feel anger or frustration over the situation. By taking the initiative to express customer concerns or satisfaction a customer may feel closure in a given situation and has shared critical information with the dealership.
A wonderful benefit of measuring effectiveness is that we can discover what we are doing well. Customers are often quite satisfied by our offerings but unless they are allowed to share their satisfaction, the offering may be changed or updated to a degree that the customer may become dissatisfied.
What to do with the customer’s feedback?

• Thank your customer for taking the time to express their valuable feedback or comments; good or bad, both must be acknowledged first, within one business day, preferably with the same method of receiving.
• Analyse and sort out all the feedback into three segments: complaints, compliments and suggestions. You can further divide common complaints and issues related with the communication, quality, price and time, and the departments involved.
• Apologize for the ones with the complaints and reassure your customers that you are paying serious personal attention to review and resolve, and their input is valued to improve quality assurance programs.
• Drill deep down to the most common critical concerns, probe the prime root causes based on factual facts and take corrective actions, and share all the information with your staff for coaching to avoid repetition.
• Resolve all customers’ concerns to their utmost satisfaction; and follow-up later to re-confirm satisfaction before closing case file, and use collective data to your business advantage.

“One of the surest signs of a bad or declining relationship with a customer is the absence of complaints. Nobody is ever that satisfied, especially not over an extended period of time. The customer is either not being candid or not being contacted” ~ Theodore Levitt of Business School Professor, Harvard University, USA.

Safe Sailing
A while back I had an upset customer complaining about the water leak under the car. I expressed regret and thanks him for bringing it to my attention to review and resolve with pleasure.
He was amazed to see my welcoming tone of voice. He asked, what makes me to embrace complaints with passion and patience as compared to most people who repel to listen to such concerns.
I said; just imagine our dealership as a cruise ship, I am a captain and you’re a voyager. You rushed all the way up to my cabin and knock my door “Captain! Captain! There is water leaking at the lowest deck!” My first response was to thank you so much for bringing it to my attention. “Let’s rush down and inspect cause. If it’s from external sea source, this could be a disaster for all of us and you have saved many lives, just by quick reporting action. However, even if it’s due to a plumbing leak, still it must be investigated and fix for safe sailing, learning and coaching our staff.”
Similarly, listening and respecting the voice of our customer is the most important task for us to improve customer quality care, their feedback serve as a valuable learning tool for us. As Bill Gates said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”.
Creating a positive and consistent customer experience is one of the biggest challenges facing dealership businesses today, and the customer’s voice is core to meeting this challenge to create competitive advantage.
When it comes to customer relationships, silence is not a viable solution. Encourage and welcome your customers to express their feedback (good or bad), and look at them as an opportunity to improve your business, not as a threat. Customer care is paramount; a feedback handled well leads to loyalty and lifetime retention.

This article has been written exclusively for AUTOMARK an international automotive magazine by Mohammad Shahzad S.A.E., D.M.P (Automotive Engineer/Doctor of Motors) Toronto, Canada

During a recent media event in Brussels, Toyota Europe outlined a plan for a 100% CO2 reduction in all-new vehicle sales in the market by 2035. This “goal” will be preceded by a sales mix of at least 50% zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in Western Europe by 2030. On a broader scale, Toyota Motor Corporation continues to dig in its heels as one of the few major automakers that has yet to set an expiry for gasoline vehicle production.

Toyota is a name that needs no introduction. As one of the largest automakers on the planet with over 84 years of experience, the company has been around longer than most of Earth’s current population. An automotive elder, if you will.

By delivering models like the Corolla, Camry, and Supra, Toyota has long been established as a best-seller around the world, pushing automotive innovation with other vehicles like the RAV4 and Tundra.

Given its history of developing new autos, it’s no wonder that Toyota was an early promoter of electric vehicles, with its famed Prius. What is a wonder however, is why Toyota mostly abandoned carbon-friendlier vehicles since the Prius.

While Toyota remains a global best-seller of ICE vehicles, its EV report card remains abysmal, with plenty of “see me” notes from Mother Earth regarding its behavior. There’s almost too much evidence to choose from, so here’s a quick recap of some of its more newsworthy movements:

How Toyota sneakily spreads anti-EV propaganda in Japan
Toyota is facing boycotts over its fight to slow electric vehicle progress
Toyota is investing over $13 billion in EV batteries while lobbying to slow everyone else
Toyota delusionally claims hybrids and fuel cells will stay competitive with electric cars for next 30 years
It’s not all bad, though. The brilliant minds behind the Yaris have in fact changed their tune (at least publicly) with their approach to EVs. This past October, Toyota unveiled its bZ4X as its first EV to arrive on its new dedicated platform, available for the global market (they previously manufactured some EVs for China, apart from some limited EV runs here and there).

In recent news, Toyota has also partnered with Chinese automaker BYD to build a $30,000 electric vehicle, but it’s not currently clear whether markets outside of China will see it. One of those potential markets is Europe, in which Toyota has now committed to implementing EVs… so it can remain authorized to sell cars there.

Master Changan Motors, the auto brand of choice for more and more Pakistanis, is proud to announce it will soon be entering the country’s much-heated SUV segment, revealing official sketches of the incredibly sleek and aggressively designed SUV.

Since debuting the Changan Alsvin Sedan in late 2020, Master Changan has fast grown to become one of Pakistan’s most popular automotive brands,constantly enticing consumers with innovative and cutting edge auto technology. Earlier this year, the company unveiled its “Future Forward Forever” positioning, demonstrating its commitment to this by testing Changan’s Level-3 autonomous driving technologies on Pakistani roads – a first for any automaker in the country.

Now, the company has revealed, it is planning to introduce Pakistani auto consumers to a brand-new option in the SUV segment. Commenting on the company’s upcoming segue into the SUV segment, Danial Malik, CEO Master Changan says, “As with everything else, we are entering the SUV segment with a ‘Future Forward Forever’ attitude and look forward to disrupting it for the better and bringing Pakistan’s SUV consumers into the future.”

While the company has not revealed features, price, or launch timelines – mentioning only the new SUV will debut “Very soon!” – it has released initial sketches of the upcoming SUV, and claims that the upcoming SUV launch will be the first-ever ‘global launch’ for any vehicle in Pakistan. What that means is that Pakistan will be the first country to launch this new Changan SUV outside China as a global launch and the vehicle will be supplied to other RHD markets from Pakistan.

Elaborating on this, Mr Malik says, “Despite spending millions of rupees, Pakistani consumers more often than not continue to lack access to the automotive design and technology available in other countries. Historically, Pakistanis get access to new models significantly later than other markets;the recent spate of ‘new’ and expensive SUVs are either at the end of their model life or have already been replaced globally with newer models. As such, we are proud to announce that Changan will be releasing this new SUV to Pakistani consumers first.”

The sketches show an SUV with streamlined contours, combining classic auto design with a high-tech, futuristic twist. With an elevated front and rear, the form brings to mind an authoritative urban SUV from the future. Wide and protruded wheel arches give a bulky and powerful stance to the SUV, adding a broad and sporty presence. The front grill seems to have a sophisticated diamond pattern with sharp corners, and a two-tier front headlamp setup can also be seen, similar to other Changan vehicles such as the UNI-T.

• Press Release

PAAPAM announced the new date for its long overdue 19th edition of the Pakistan Auto Show at the event. Pakistan Auto Show, one of Pakistan’s most popular exhibitions, is going to be held at the Karachi Expo Center on the 21st-23rd of January, 2022.

PAAPAM held it’s Annual Dinner at The Movenpick hotel, hosted by outgoing chairman Mr. Abdur Rehman Aizaz. The event was attended by chairman EDB Mr. Almas Hyder as chief guest, Chairman PAAPAM Mr. Razzak Gauhar, as well as other luminaries from the automotive industry.

Chairman EDB said that the new auto policy developed has a strong focus on export as well as capacity enhancement of the industry. He further said that the policy seeks to generate volumes of over 600,000 in four wheelers, over 100,000 in tractors, and over 7 million units per annum in motorcycles by the year 2026.

Convener PAS 2022 Mr. Zain Shariq briefed the audience on how the event is going to take place and its importance for Pakistan’s economy and the automotive industry. As the economy of Pakistan is growing, it is important to hold such shows so that there are opportunities for the companies and businesses in Pakistan to showcase their capabilities, he said.

“It is extremely important for the industry to participate and showcase the value that’s being added in this country, it is equally as important for the consumers and government decisionmakers to attend such shows to understand the level of engineering that’s being undertaken in Pakistan.

We already have a strong showing in terms of booking from the OEMs, new entrants and old, and the vending industry. This is a good sign as the industry needs to put a strong foot forward in the post corona world.”

As a large number of new entrants have entered the market, a strong showing of diverse models is expected at the show. Several electric vehicle companies are already on board, and a few new model launches will also be in the offing.

PAAPAM has always played a pivotal role for provision of business opportunities and growth of Auto Engineering Industry as a whole. At PAS 2022, PAAPAM has established a substantive business generation model for everyone including PAAPAM members who are not exhibiting and the representatives of the allied industries.
As well as supporting the industry the show also seeks to engage students with an engineering and an arts competition.

• Event Press Release

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) is planning to launch new models in Pakistan and increase production to 100,000 units by 2025, Executive Vice President of SAIC, Zhao Aimin said on Saturday.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) is planning to launch new models in Pakistan and increase production to 100,000 units by 2025, Executive Vice President of SAIC, Zhao Aimin said on Saturday.

In a briefing to Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque who visited the headquarters of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) in Shanghai, Zhao said that its core businesses and its overseas projects.

SAIC was the top Chinese automakers with a large number of its own brands in both passenger and commercial vehicles. It was also actively promoting the commercialization of new energy vehicles.

Zhao further informed that the SAIC had successfully entered into Pakistan market with introduction of its MG model and started production in July 2021 in partnership with JW SEZ.

The company planned to expand its production base and also establish auto part and allied industries in Pakistan in future. It considered Pakistan as a potential long term market and was planning to launch new models in Pakistan and increase production to 100,000 units by 2025.

Ambassador welcomed SAIC Motors interest and investment in Pakistan and congratulated the company for its successful joint venture and start of production in Pakistan.

He briefed the Vice President about Pakistan’s growing demand for cars and the government policies to attract new foreign automobile companies for producing conventional and as well electric cars. He assured SAIC for providing full facilitation in realizing its future investment plans.

Earlier, upon his arrival, the ambassador was warmly received by Zhao Aimin, Executive Vice President of SAIC.

Dubai, UAE, 2 November 2021: Hypermotion Dubai, the Middle East edition of the German-initiated industry convex that reimagines the transportation and logistics industries, debuted today (2 November 2021) at Expo 2020, held under the presence and patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of Dubai Airports, hailing it as a significant boost to the emirate’s smart mobility credentials.

In his comments on this remarkable event, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed said: “I would like to express my appreciation to the event organisers for their exceptional efforts.

“The fact that Hypermotion will be held in Dubai at Expo 2020 is a clear indication of our determination to maintain the emirate at the forefront of smart mobility as well as to leverage and support transformative and disruptive technology towards improving industries, accelerating the development of localised, high-tech economies. During this event, we will have the opportunity to discover and learn new things through an exciting outlook into the future.”

Running until the 4th November at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Hypermotion Dubai, along with the co-located Materials Handling Middle East trade fair, represents a thriving hub of technology game-changers revolutionising four of the Middle East’s key economic sectors — transport, logistics, mobility, and materials handling.

The three-day event takes place with the collaboration of global ports operator DP World as Global Partner.

Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director of DP World UAE and Jafza, said: “DP World is proud to be the Global Partner of Hypermotion and support its inaugural event in Dubai. We are leading several meaningful discussions this week on topics including Dubai’s emergence as an international trading hub and the importance of big data in revolutionising logistics.

He continues: “Innovation is in our DNA, and Hypermotion – like DP World – seeks to unlock a smarter future for mobility and logistics. In a changing world, we must collaborate to streamline and strengthen operations across the industry. This will benefit business, customers, our planet, and will ultimately keep trade flowing.”

Other key partners include Abu Dhabi Ports as Strategic Partner; and Dubai South, being a smart and sustainable city, as Future City Partner.

HE Khalifa Al Zaffin – Executive Chairman Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, said: “We are pleased to host a reputable global event such as Hypermotion in Dubai, especially during a special time for the emirate as it hosts Expo 2020 Dubai.

“We look forward to connecting with a consortium of logistics veterans and discussing critical issues related to the future of logistics. As a major player in the region, Dubai South is proud to be aligned with the government’s strategy of diversifying the emirate’s economy and further solidifying its place on the global stage.

“Hypermotion Dubai will provide us with an ideal platform on which to demonstrate our most recent developments and explore a variety of prospects that will open up new perspectives and highlight the relevance of digitalisation in the mobility and transportation industries.”

Simon Mellor, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, organiser of Hypermotion Dubai and Materials Handling Middle East, said: “Hypermotion Dubai will be presenting digitally enhanced technologies that will be driving future automation and sustainability initiatives and efforts. The event’s three conferences and expert line-up of over 150 change-makers will lift the lid off progressive innovations for the benefit of all those working in these vital sectors.”

Hypermotion Lab focuses on driverless vehicles, urban air mobility and next-generation connectivity in the mobility and logistics arena. The Smart Mobility Conference is unveiling the reshaping of the region’s mass transit industry, while Scalex, a leading manufacturer of digital distance measurement tools, will take a deep dive into supply-chain and logistics excellence, including last-mile delivery.

Pitching the future

Hypermotion Dubai has attracted a heady mix of public- and private-sector leaders and policy makers, business owners and strategists, start-ups and innovators looking to networking and pitching new technology breakthroughs through the Asyad Logistics Start-up Challenge. The challenge will comprise three days of workshops, clinics, pitch competitions, and networking with investors and government buyers to provide real opportunities to launch and grow businesses

The event is also hosting market forecasts for both the GCC logistics and electric vehicles sectors in addition to leading data scientists, who will be presenting at the Asyad Global Hackathon Challenge – a knowledge hub of bespoke content, engaging competitions, workshops, and brainstorming sessions.

Rousing start for 11th Materials Handling Middle East

Together with Hypermotion Dubai, the biennial 11th edition of Materials Handling Middle East features more than 70 exhibitors from 24 countries, headed by Platinum Sponsor Acme, alongside other industry stalwarts such as RFUFCO, Wings, Savoye, Jaspa, Ancra Systems, Lean Tech, Log Square, Swisslog, and Honeywell.

The region’s dedicated trade fair for intralogistics, warehousing, supply chain management, freight and cargo is shining the spotlight on the latest automation technologies addressing the needs of a range of industries from e-commerce, banking and retail, to F&B, automotive and pharmaceuticals.

Acme’s next-gen show line-up includes a number of different solutions for specific applications including a new robotics system in cooperation with their partner, Hanwha, and handling and storage solutions for pallets and cases manufactured in their UAE facility.

Pandemic effect

Navin Narayan, CEO of Acme, said the Middle East has been slower than other markets when adopting physical automation solutions, however, the pandemic has increased manpower costs and squeezed overall operational margins meaning businesses have had to quickly realise the value of implementing automation technologies in their production and distribution lines.

“The pandemic has definitely accelerated the adoption of semi-automation and automation solutions,” said Narayan. “Our region has been relying heavily on manual labour for material handling and warehouse operations which were challenged as Covid-19 hit us all.

“New regulations for social distancing and drastically increased customer demand when it comes to delivery accuracy and speed made it impossible to stick to the status quo. To remain competitive, increased efficiency is key that could not be achieved by adding more human resources.”

Narayan continued: “Different industries are facing various challenges and some of them have recently intensified due to the pandemic. If we look at the retail and e-commerce sector as probably the most drastic example, we have seen an increase in online order volume as well as the rising expectation of end customers for faster delivery timeframes.

“Until about 2019, if a customer placed an order and they received an expected delivery date of 4-5 days, they would have been happy with the service level. Recent surveys show that over 96% shoppers expect to receive a product within the same day.”

According to Narayan, when a retailer wants to improve the last-mile services this puts additional focus and stress on the ‘middle section’, or the order fulfilment side of the business.

“We are supporting customers with such challenges by employing technology to make order fulfilment accurate, scalable as well as cost-efficient. The fundamental approach should be on how we can leverage on technology to optimise key processes and levitate bottlenecks.

“From predictive AI, to micro fulfilment centres, to autonomous robots for order fulfilment, there has been a lot of innovate developments that help improve operational efficiency for businesses,” he added.

• PRESS RELEASE