Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Something brewing at the Air Asia group?


By Sharen Kaur

KUALA LUMPUR: THERE seems to be something brewing at the Air Asia group with some very senior leaders said to be leaving, and Robert Milton playing a more prominent role in the overall operation.
  Milton, the former president and CEO of Air Canada has been a director of AirAsia Bhd since 2013.
  While a key leader at AirAsia Bhd may possibly leave to pursue personal interest, rumours are rife that top officials at subsidiary AirAsia X Bhd (AAX), including its chief executive officer (CEO) Azran Osman Rani, are serving their notice.
  The others include AAX chief financial officer (CFO) Chew Eng Loke and its head of legal, Hanie Izawatie.
  When contacted, Azran neither confirmed nor denied his departure.
  Azran told Business Times that he is still staying put in the long haul budget carrier, which he expects will turnaround soon.
  AAX chairman Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz was quick to brush off when asked to comment on Azran and the AirAsia key leader's purported departure.
  "I have no comment to make. We are having a board meeting this week and there are several things which we will discuss. Just wait for what ever that comes up after the board meeting and the announcements that follow," she told Business Times, when contacted, yesterday.
  Meanwhile, Azran, said he is excited for AAX as there has been some progress in the airline.
  "Things are working out well for AAX. We are excited to show the progress that we have achieved in the fourth quarter of 2014. The results will be announced next month.
  "Last year was an exceptional year because of the market conditions, coupled with what happened in the Malaysian aviation market. Demand from China, one of our biggest markets, had softened. But these are things which have turned around," he said.
  Sources close to the AirAsia group said that there will be major changes taking place at AAX as it has been reporting losses in the past two years, and AirAsia, which is facing pressure from intense competition in the South East Asian region, amid weak market sentiments.
  "The two airlines will be consolidated to create a larger operating airline group and there will be many redundant positions once the exercise is completed," a source said.
  Azran was appointed CEO in July 2010. His initial contract of employment, which was for three years, ended in 2013, and was extended by another three years to July 4, 2016.
  He was hand-picked by Tony to manage and operate AAX. He was hired from satellite television provider Astro where he was senior director of business development. Before Astro he held positions at Bursa Malaysia, and at management consultancies McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton.
  Chew joined AAX as CFO effective September 1 2014 while Hanie joined the airline on June 23, 2008, and was promoted to head of legal last year, overseeing compliance issues, aircraft purchase and financing, contracts for airline operations, and managing litigation matters.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Nasim launches the racing-inspired Peugeot 208 S


Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Peugeot cars in Malaysia, expect car sales this year to be driven by the newly launched racing-inspired Peugeot 208 S, which is based on the multiple award winning and highly-acclaimed Peugeot 208.
  The popular hatchback had undergone a dramatic restyling. New additions include an S Kit spoiler, S Kit stripes, S Kit side mirror and a new SR1 grille.
  Peugeot 208 S is set for a limited run. The variant comes in Digital White only.
  Since December 2012, the Peugeot 208 was Europe’s best-selling B-segment car for three consecutive months.
  In February 2013, Peugeot rolled out the 300,000th unit of the Peugeot 208 from its plant in Poissy, France. By end-2014, the Peugeot 208 was among the top five best-selling models in the European B-segment.
  “Since its introduction to the Malaysian market in April 2013, the Peugeot 208 has consistently been our number one best-selling model in the country. It is this significant interest and the model’s inherent charisma that eventually led to us bringing in the 208 GTi and now the 208 S,” said Nasim chief operating officer, Datuk Samson Anand George.

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  The Peugeot 208 S is the embodiment of a generation that values individual style, leading performance and user-friendly practicality. Available as a five-door variant, the Peugeot 208 S’s design evokes agility, modernism and refinement.
  The sportier exterior of the Peugeot 208 S is characterised by its signature front and rear LED daytime running lights to evoke a modern and agile appearance that is in line with Peugeot’s signature design. This is further accentuated by its 16-inch two-tone Helium alloy rims.
  The structure of the Peugeot 208 S has been engineered to deliver outstanding levels of passive and active safety while keeping the overall weight of the vehicle low. This has been made possible with the use of an aluminium front beam absorber, strengthened front sub frame, laser welding of the roof and extensive use of Very High Strength Steel and Ultra High Strength Steel panels.

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  “Every part of the Peugeot 208 S has been designed for maximum safety. That is one of the reasons it gained a five-star rating – the highest rating possible – from Euro NCAP, the most widely-recognised independent vehicle safety assessor in Europe,” said Samson.
  The Peugeot 208 S comes standard with six airbags and an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) featuring ABS, EBD, EBA, ASR and DSC.
  Other safety features include Hill Start Assist, two ISOFIX points at the rear for child seats and all round one-touch anti-pinch power windows with electric child-safety door locks.
  The car also leads in terms of ECO design with the integration of 25 per cent ‘green materials’ out of the 170kg of polymers (excluding rubber) used on the car.
  "In fact, the Peugeot 208 S’s rear bumper is entirely recycled, which is a world’s first. Other components that were made from recycled parts include the radiator frame, fan, wheel arch interior, soundproofing, boot mat, steering wheel, engine cover and air filter," he said.
  The overall interior of the Peugeot 208 S is characterised by high quality interior trim with soft touch plastics accentuated by touches of piano black and satin chrome finishing as well as high quality semi-bucket Moonlight fabric seats. All of these and more are typical of the 208’s trademark features.
  A key highlight inside the 208 is its award-winning 7-inch HD colour interactive touch screen which provides easy access to various functions such as the radio, music files via the USB connection as well as Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free cellular functionality or audio streaming.
  The 7-inch HD colour interactive touch screen also incorporates a high-performance audio system with Arkamys 3D sound that is connected to six speakers to fully exploit the excellent interior acoustics of the Peugeot 208 S. In addition, its audio system can be easily connected to an iPhone, iPod or an Android device. It also displays a rear parking aid with audio visual assistance and four sensors, key settings of the car such as lighting and security features as well as the trip computer information.
  Another key feature of the 208 S’s interior is its innovative and stylish instrument panel with a colour LCD screen, multi-stage illumination and a compact leather sports steering wheel that comes with audio and telephony controls. In particular, the colour LCD screen displays vital information such as the vehicle’s speed, trip computer and audio information.
  The Peugeot 208 S is equipped with a 1.6-litre VTi engine that produces 122 PS and 160 Nm of torque, making the 208 S a responsive and fun car to drive. Additionally, the engine is matched to an auto adaptive transmission with sport mode and Tiptronic functionality. The fuel efficiency of the Peugeot 208 S on a mixed cycle is rated at 6.7-litres per 100 km.
  The Peugeot 208 S features Peugeot’s legendary trademark road-holding qualities by incorporating MacPherson struts with an anti-roll bar front suspension and a trailing-arm with deformable cross-member axle at the rear.
  Among the awards won by the Peugeot 208 include the ‘Best Supermini 2012’ by the UK’s Auto Express New Car Awards, ‘European Car Of The Year 2013’ by Italy’s Auto Europa, ‘Best Car Of The Year 2013’ in Spain, ‘2013 Car of the Year’ by JoongAng Ilbo in Korea and 'Best Small Car 2014' by the UK’s Fleet News Awards.
  Now available for booking and purchase at nationwide showrooms, the Peugeot 208 S retails for only RM86,888.00 on-the-road with insurance.
  Enjoy fantastic offers courtesy of the Peugeot Prosperity Drive from now until 28th February. Purchase any Peugeot model and get a free Iphone 6.
  All Peugeot models come with five-year warranty with unlimited mileage together with Nasim’s 24-hour Peugeot Assistance service, complimentary access to the Peugeot Lounge at Subang Airport and Peugeot Privilege membership, all to provide the best ownership experience for its customers.
  Nasim Sdn Bhd is the official distributor for Automobiles Peugeot in Malaysia. For more information on Peugeot Malaysia, please visit http://www.peugeot.com.my. Like the Peugeot Malaysia page at http://www.facebook.com/peugeotmalaysia. (Source: Nasim Sdn Bhd)