Toyota Prius now cheaper by RM35,000

Woot! Woot! Abstracted from today's The Star paper, my dream car (for now) which is the Toyota Prius Hybrid is RM35,000 cheaper effective 1st January 2011!! Woohoo!!!......I hope prices for smart green cars remain reasonable so that we can produce less green gas emission and lend a hand in combating global warming!  And not to mention enjoy a luxurious SMART car! :)

Toyota Prius hybrid now cheaper by RM35,000

PETALING JAYA: The price of the Toyota Prius hybrid car has been reduced by RM35,000 to RM139,900.

UMW Toyota Motor Thursday announced the new on-the-road price for the Prius, following a tax incentive for hybrid cars in Budget 2011 from Jan 1 to Dec 31 next year.

The Prius will cost RM141,500 in Sabah and Sarawak due to higher logistic costs, said UMW president Kuah Kock Heng.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in tabling Budget 2011 on Oct 15, announced that hybrid cars were fully exempted from import duties, with a 50% reduction in excise duty.

"UMW Toyota Motor welcomes the recent national budget announcement by the Government on the extension and enhancement of tax incentives for hybrid cars," Kuah said in a statement.

"With this, Malaysians can enjoy our most popular hybrid car at a more affordable price.

"They can also benefit from the high fuel efficiency and contribute to lowering carbon dioxide emissions," Kuah added.

According to Kuah, the Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid car in the world with sales exceeding two million units worldwide.

Toyota's Prius top-selling car in Japan last year

Look's like my dream car (for now) - Toyota Prius Hybrid is the most sold car in Japan! Man.....no wonder people say great minds think alike. This proves one thing: (Most) Japanese and I have good taste! LOL!

Here's an excerpt from today's (8/1/2010) The Star article:

TOKYO (AP): The Toyota Prius was the top-selling car in Japan last year - the first time a gas-electric hybrid has clinched that spot.

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Friday that Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius was No. 1 in its ranking of sales by vehicle models - with 208,876 Prius cars sold in 2009, nearly three times the numbers sold the previous year.

Coming in second was Honda Motor Co.'s Fit, followed by the Toyota Vitz. Both aren't hybrids but are small and fuel efficient models.

Green models have gotten a huge lift this year in Japan from a government cash-for-clunkers program and tax breaks, aimed at boosting sales during a global slowdown that has seriously hurt Japanese automakers.

The Prius was the top-selling model for every month from May last year - the month when an upgraded version hit showrooms. It is so popular buyers must wait weeks to get their Prius. Demand for the Prius has also been strong in the U.S.

Japan's auto market has been stagnant for decades, and the perk from hybrid sales is a bright spot amid overall dismal demand. Auto sales in Japan declined to their lowest level in 38 years last year, slumping 9 percent to 2.9 million vehicles, and falling below 3 million units for the first time since 1971, according to the association earlier this week.

Japanese automakers are looking to emerging markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia to keep demand going as prospects for growth are also weak in the U.S. and Europe.

Toyota Prius Hybrid

This is so not me..... I had never blogged about cars before. But today I just can't resist it. Besides, cars ARE boy's toys. *grins*

Everyone has their dream car....I remember, my 10 year old cousin, once told me his dream car is a Ferrari....and I thought to myself, does this pea-size boy knows what the heck is a Ferrari?? And it would cost him a fortune to get one?? The embarassing thing is.....he's 10 and he knows more cars than me! Bring him down the highway....and he'll name you all sort of cars, from Nissan Fair Lady to BMW whatever-series.....Beats me! I can't even tell the various models of Honda cars.....they all look the same (to me that is)!!!

Usually, one's dream car is those that will either cost them half a million to a million or 2 Ringgit....But why?? Wouldn't that cost you an arm and a leg to maintain it?? What about the yearly insurance fees?? The more expensive your car is, the more insurance you need to pay....Hmm.... But then again, if they got the wealth to get one of those cars, they would probably have the money to maintain it.....Hmm....good for them then. I, personally, don't bother about how expensive the car will be...... Yes, it might elevate my status....but so what? As if you gonna sleep and live in your car.....you just use it to move around, just like any other cars!

I am a sucker for technology....and the car that appeals to me most is hybrid cars from Toyota. Not that I have a choice, I mean, Toyota is the ONLY company that produces hybrids in Malaysia. And if you would have noticed, recently, they have came out with a new model called Toyota 3rd Generation Prius which I think is pretty COOL!!!

Some of its super cool features include:

1. Solar Roof

~When Prius is parked in direct sunlight, available solar panels can power a fan which brings in cooler outside air, cooling the cabin

close to ambient outside temperature. When you are within 30 yards from the car, you can use a Remote Air Conditioning System Control to cool off the interior to preset temperature without starting off the engine!

2. EV/Eco/Power modes

~In the available EV mode, Prius operates silently on the battery alone for up to 1/2 mile. In Eco mode, gas pedal sensitivity is reduced for better fuel economy. In Power mode, the gas pedal becomes more responsive for a richer driving experience. Talk about saving money on petrol AND the environment! Mother Nature will be so proud of me! XD

3. Intelligent Parking Assist

~uses Ultrasonic sensors in front bumper to detect parking space. An image of the parking space appears on the screen with a box indicating the target positon of the vehicle. Once driver approves target position, Prius steers and virtually drives by itself! Only requiring soft braking by the driver to stop the vehicle in the desired parking space. WOW! Ladies and lousy drivers will LOVE this feature!

4. Control panels on the steering wheel

~Driver can adjust temperature, audio mode, volume and trip data. Oh! And have i mentioned that Prius comes with a GPS too?

So! What da'ya think??? Super cool eh?? If you want to know more about this car, go check it out the official Toyota website: www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/ There are videos that demo all the features that I mentioned above.

Now I can't wait to earn my own salary and get my hands on a Hybrid. Hopefully by then, there will be more super 'chun' technological advanced cars!! Maybe one that need not run on petrol? XD

My results and THE Car.........

Finally......my results are out! Actually, it's out sometime ago already. The only thing is that UM doesn't want to mail it to our address. Don't ask me why! I can only think of all the negative things to say. Anyway.....yeah, went up to PJ today, for 2 things. First, to get my results from the faculty. Second, to collect my Nissan Sylphy. Yes! It's THE Nissan Sylphy that I blogged about last.....month? THE one that I won from Genting Casino. We have been delayed and delayed and.......delayed until today. We finally got hold of the car! Phew.......But it will be OFF to the new owner soon. Sigh......short lived happy moments.

Anyway, remember I said that I went for 3 viva-voce before? Yeah.......apparently I didn't nail all 3 of them. Another sigh......
Only managed to get ONE high distinction, two of the others were just distinction. Overall result was 1 A+, 2 A's, and 1 B. A+ for Biochemistry, A for Anatomy and Oral Biology, and B for Physiology. Oh well.....though I aimed for at least 2 high distinctions, I'm still grateful and happy with the outcome. Hmm....I guess I got to work harder and smarter next time!
Second year......here I come to be the best!!! :D
Here are some before and after photos of the Genting lucky strike. :)

Before: (Left) Mom with mock key at Genting Casino. (Right) The winner's letter.


After: (Left to right) The Nissan Sylphy; Its interior; and ME! ^^,

Beginner's Luck

It's my mom birthday yesterday...and I went to celebrate with the rest of the family at Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant in Subang Jaya. The place was great and value for money. Food was good and the high price was worth paying for their fresh and delicious authentic Japanese delicacies! But that is not what I wanna blog about today...

After dinner, the whole family went to Genting and I tagged along...overnight and the next morning, my parents brought me to the Casino. Yes...I know...I'm not exactly 21 years old yet. But the guards just let me in without taking a second glance. *Wait a minute....Does that mean I look OLD!!!!*

Anyway....I have always wondered what is in there that makes my parents, expecially my dad, to NOT come out and even played for more than 24 hours continuously! Today, I finally knew....the casino, i would say.....looked more like an adult version of archade centre. Slot machines were E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E! There were all sorts! Some, the classic ones; others with pictures of farm animals; one even had Prince of Persia in it; and everything was electronic. And honestly, they look EXACTLY like those found in the indoor theme park for kids to play! The only difference is that, these machines vomits out cash instead of tickets. And tables with all sort of gambling 'games' imaginable were at the sides of the humongous hall.

But I despise it as much as I despise gambling. I think it's just a waste of time, energy and hard earn money! It's my first time here and my mom brought me around. She even withdraw RM200 for me to warm up! I was like...."What? No need lah...I'm not good in all these anyway."

But she insisted that I should try and when up to a slot machine with chickens in it. My mom claimed that this is her favourite type of machine as the music is very relaxing and the chickens are very cute. Immediately I went --> -_-"

Anyway, she inserted her card then a hundred bucks. Started off quite lucky as we managed to get 35 free spins and money keeps cashing in! But after that you watch your credit going RM 150....RM100....RM86....RM50....RM31.....RM10.....and finally RM0.14!!! And it happened in just 15 minutes!

I was like "WHAT??! So fast lose all already ha?" and asked my mom to leave this money-sucking-place (I told you I despise casinos). But she ignored me and inserted another RM100 note.

"MOM!!!", I hissed.

"Shhhh....one more round", she replied.

And mom and I end up alternatingly pressing the little flashing "money draining" button. In just 5 minutes, after losing bout RM20...the whole slot machine got jammed!

Lights stopped blinking and so did my eyes! I went WTF?!

Then at a very small screen on top it shows something that I thought was a contest advertisement.

"Congratulations! You have won a CAR!"

I poked my mom and pointed at the screen.

"Mom....I think we have won a car."

"I think so too, son. But let's not be too excited and confirm with the officers around"

We called one over and she was more excited than us. She went like "WOW! You've won a car! You're damn lucky lah! Stay here...don't move and I go call my manager"

And within minutes everyone at the side of us came and looked what was all the excitement about. Strangers congratulated us and talked to us like old friends.

Procedures took more than an hour....one after another, officers...then supervisors...then managers....then head of manager came over to confirm. And we were on a call marathon, receiving calls from relatives and making to others who "still doesn't know". I know...i know....why brag right? Well....when you are an auntie....you can't help but do so.

The Genting management prepared the stage, set up mics and called the head manager. For an hour we waited for them to get ready...then when it is about time to go on stage...my mom went to toilet and they waited and searched high and low for my mom! Haha...it was a funny scene.

For more than 20 years we've lived in this world and probably you would have guessed, there's nothing like a free lunch, what more a free CAR? At every contest there will be "terms and conditions applied" printed at the very bottom of it, so does this.

It seems that there are 2 cars available. One is the latest model of Nissan Sylphy 2.0L CVTC costing RM129,000 while the other is the cheaper, smaller RM66,000 Korean SMART car which I think is a hybrid.

Left to right: Nissan Sylphy and Korean SMART (looks something like that lah)

My mom was told to pick and match cards depicting the respective cars. She was told to choose 5 cards out of 10 and the most card that matches would be the car she won! How sly can Genting be! I mean....come on lah. OBVIOUSLY there would be more cards for Korean SMART than Nissan right? Which organiser would want to give away their more expensive prize?

My mom choose card number 3,1,7,8 (It's my birthdate, 31/7/88). At first, she got an even vote for each. 1 for Nissan and 1 for SMART. Then, God probably must have helped her or was it my beginner's luck, that the next 2 cards were ALSO Nissan! And you would have imagined the excitement in the casino. Everyone cheered and clapped! The emcee asked my mom what would she do to the car.

And she replied "Well....I was just talking about buying a car for my son. And now I've got one. So, son....this goes to you!"

*Sob* Touched, huh? Yeah...me too.

...........@@@...........

But I am not keeping the car. It's very grand, i know but it's very expensive to maintain. The insurance alone costs RM5000 plus every year. Besides, it's such a big car and my family doesn't need such a big one. Moreover, considering its 2000 CC engine, the monthly expenses for petrol would probably kill you. I think it's a bit too much for my family to bear considering there are already 3 cars at home now. So, we would be selling it. :) Any potential buyers out there? Do contact me k!

PS: There's no photos (except for the 2 car models taken from the Net) uploaded this time as I've got everything in my camera and I forgot to bring my smartcard reader. Will do so the next time! Photos of the new 'temporary' car and my mom on stage in Genting casino. Cheers!