Appreciation at Work

Usually conflicts arise whenever an increment or promotion is in place.

I believe most company is having a team of committee to ascertain the salary scale main role to draft the salary range for all levels of staff (Directors & Top Management aside) including bonus entitlement & other remuneration packages.

The value of the staff will be determined during all these review meeting held. Simple equation, higher value, higher increment and vice versa. Of course, there are always other exceptions.

Among the famous cases, the most common ones will be having a highly valued employee but the Management was reluctant to provide anything further than the default %. By saying default, it always refers to a very low %.

As an employee, we have to assess ourselves without waiting for superior’s review. Identify your strength and ways to improve them. If possible, go for courses or training which will enhance the value of your career, not only in the current employment.

Remember, the market out there is very big. The value appreciated by current employer does not equals to how market value your capabilities.

Since turnover is very high after issuance of bonus every year, which is logic as staff able to see how their career will move on based on the year-end review; I wish everyone the best of luck.

I sincerely hope each and every one of you be able to get the level of increment you expect and somewhat better, a promotion~

Grandfather’s Funeral @ 5th Nov 2010

Being for grandfather’s last journey is not easy.

Covered with sadness and moody weather, the 3-day ceremony is not easy for everyone, myself included.

I spend some times looking at his face; all the tears were just came out nonstop. I couldn’t control my emotion during that period.

Even until now, I still do not believe that he was gone.

On the second day after his funeral, I dreamed of him sitting outside the house on his favorite chair. I cannot recall what was the content of our conversation, the only image I can remember deeply was that after the conversation, he walked out of our house, freely, without any pain, just as he used to be before hit by stroke for 2 times…

Since then, I have dreamed of him the second time. Too bad the dream was so blur which I cannot recall any scene in it.

Anyway, from what I have learned from the 1^st dream, grandfather finally found his peace, leaving all the sickness and physical pain behind.

Goodbye grandpa, I will be missing you always in my heart…

Inspira Test Drive Review

Before I go for any test drive, I will make sure I have studied thoroughly all information available for the vehicle.

Though we should be objective before looking at the vehicle, but for sure there will be some fixed thoughts prior to the visit.

I have to say, when I found that the test drive is only available for 1.8CVT, I was rather disappointed. Interior aside, I really wish to be able to test the 2.0CVT performance as quoted by many testers whereby “as good as Lancer”.

Anyway, running 1.8CVT is smooth considering the short distance during test drive as there was a long queue waiting.

Though 1.8 Manual pushes to 100KM/H in shorter time than other variants, the experience of driving a 1.8CVT is smooth. Switching the gear to Semi-Auto during uphill & Downhill does not show any choking from the engine.

The vehicle runs smooth throughout the journey although I rather to run the tests on highway where there’s not much traffic for the engine to perform what it is capable of. Steering maneuver is comfortable and U-turning made easier with the small turning radius.

However, when I try to push the Inspira to 100KM/H, the sales advisor stopped me from doing that; which triggers my suspicion. I recall the comment from Motor Trader that says “the gearbox tends to have odd sound when we keep pushing the vehicle in high revs”; I keep asking myself, is that the reason? This proves largely when the Sales Advisor purposely turned off the air-conditioner when we stopped at the traffic light and commented that the car is very quiet. I remembered my impulse reply was that “of course the engine is quiet considering the car is new”. To some extend I was unhappy as a result of him stopping me from testing the engine capability in speeding.

Switching places of the speedometer makes no difference as Proton users have always been using that kind of appearance. First glance the cockpit shows no different from the Lancer until you feel it with you very fingers. Plastic is still the main material as for interior for cost reduction strategy. As for seats, 1.8CVT seemed to be overpriced as they still provide normal fabric seats with some other features not installed. Leather is only available for 2.0CVT variant. By comparing merely fabric & leather, of course leather gives more comfortable seating.

There is ample legroom for the rear passenger. Foldable 60:40 of the rear seats is useful for bigger luggage as the trunk space is 400litre which is smaller than other Proton products. Chrome package & additional skirting plus front grille for 2.0CVT is much more beautiful than the other variants. Other additional features do make the 2.0CVT worth more in pricing than the 1.8CVT.

When we raised our queries to the sales advisor of the reason that 2.0CVT is not displayed or not available for testing (FYI, 2.0CVT only displayed at Branch), sales advisors from the dealer & branch gave the equal respond; “if you are satisfied with the 1.8CVT, then there will be no problem with the 2.0CVT”.

In my opinion, as a potential buyer, we do feel that there is a need to really look into the vehicle before buying it. Quoting the OTR price at approximately RM 92,000 without allowing us to test drive or view the unit up-close is considered as a business strategy. Without being able to drive the vehicle, I doubt how many buyers will buy the 2.0 variant.

Moreover, the sales advisor explained further that the first 1000 Units of The Inspira are the result of CBU from Japan which bigger portion will be in 1.8CVT as the bookings for 2.0CVT is low (Why’s that?). For those who placed their orders after 14^th Nov 2010 will have to wait for the CKD version (assembly in Malaysia) in about 1-2 months.

The sales advisor even mention to me that we could change the default Continental 16” tire to 18” and claimed that there will be no problem. I am baffled. Will Proton acknowledge the 18” tire under warranty? If so, why bother to re-tune the engine with the Lotus Ride & Handling which they claimed the outcome is better than Lancer? Retuning also reduces the maximum torque & output of the 4B11. Is that wise for the Sales Advisor to give such comments?

For all buyers’ information, Extended Warranty Program (EWP) is no longer available, at least for Inspira. Proton only guarantees up to a 3 year warranty. Don’t worry and keep calm because we can still enroll into the EWP by adding a 0.15%-0.25% to our HP interest rate as mentioned by Sales Advisor. With that, you can enjoy a warranty period of up to 5years or 175,000KM whichever earlier.

Compared to the initial launching of Inspira on the mid October, interest rate has gone down to boost purchase to match Proton’s targeted sales of 1500 units per month. The rate goes down to 3.3% for 5 years tenor and as high as 3.75% for 9 years tenor. Personally I believe that a 0.25% additional for EWP is reasonable as Perodua also offering the same add-on in the interest rate for their EWP program.

Also, as what we heard from Proton, they will reduce the reliance of imported parts of Inspira to a lower percentage in the late 2011. This is good news for those future buyers whom may opt for a lower-priced Inspira. Nevertheless, this statement conflicts with the comments from Branch Sales Advisor where they informed that the parts will be imported from Japan. Nothing was mention about the local parts. For this dilemma, I leave it for your own judgment.

Please pay a visit to the Proton Showroom for a better view of the Inspira and have a copy of their nicely printed brochure. As brochure represents the effort of the manufacturer, by looking at the quality of the information & printouts, it is confirmed that Proton will be continuing the Proton-Mitsubishi partnership for at least the next 10 years. Personally I think the brochure is interesting and worth keeping, it is the best brochure Proton ever created.

Kindly take note, there are two version of the brochure. A summarized version having about 4pages and a detailed one with 20 pages complete information.

Thank you for viewing this review and Good Luck! ~

*Pictures from http://www.inspiraclub.com

Awaits Finally Over: Proton Inspira

Proton finally confirmed on the complete launching of Inspira which will on the 11^th Nov 2010 (Thursday). 

Multiple forums were created for Inspira as the public is really curious how this rebatch version of the current Mitsubishi Lancer GT (X Version) will be.

I have been to the GT test drive recently and had a chance to feel the smoothness of the 4B11 engine as well as the pride from the GT’s exterior design and interior Nappa leather seats. Hate to compare but the Nappa leather in GT feels way more comfortable than newly launched Altis 2.0.

Anyway, we will talk about the comparison of Lancer with Altis on later thread. Now, back to comparison of Inspira & Lancer.

Quote from Motor Trader “Proton is not hiding the fact that Inspira = Lancer”. Basically the driving experience of both 1.8CVT & 2.0CVT gives a new era for Proton made cars. They also commented that though Inspira is assembled locally, but based on the test drive, the quality of the car may actually as good as the Japan CBU.

In spite of all that, I’m just curious what are the reasons for Proton not to launch the car fully and demand the public to proceed for bookings with RM 1000.00 down payments.

 

Here are some of my non-professional comparisons:

OTR Price:

Mitsubishi Lancer GT (CBU)      : RM 123,980.00

Proton Inspira 2.0 (CKD)           : RM  94,450.00

Proton Inspira 1.8 (CKD)           : RM  87,450.00

Based on the official price provided by Proton, 2.0 Inspira costs RM 30,000 less compare to a normal OTR price for GT.

Engine Performance:

Mitsubishi Lancer GT (CBU)      : 4B11 (6-step Sports Mode)

Proton Inspira (CKD)                 : 4B11 (6-step Sports Mode)

Based on the review, the Inspira is using the same engine though this may have to confirm until official launching with detail specification.

Speaking of identical performance, we do hope that Inspira will generate a maximum torque of 114kw/6000rpm & output of 199n-M/4250rpm. Anything lesser than that will confirm that the engine is different and perhaps only up to 4B10 with 5 speed CVT. 

Motor Trader did comment that gear box for Inspira may sound odd if we push the car continuously in high revs.

Handling & Safety Features:

Paddle Shifters, Cruise Control, ABS, EBD, BA, Dual SRS Air Bag & Keyless Entry

Inspira announced that they are having all the features. Even so, rumors saying that the paddle shifters for Inspira will be made out of plastic instead of magnesium. If that is true, it will be a tragic day for all Inspira buyers. Cruise control is not available in GT but found in Lancer-EX.

Moreover, Proton got approval from Mitsubishi to tune up the car with Lotus engineering plus lowering the tire level back to 16” comparing 18” on Mitsubishi. This, according to Proton, has made the Inspira having superior handling than GT.

Other features like ABS, EBD, BA, Dual SRS Air Bag and Keyless Entry are normal safety features in current market hence nothing much to compare.

Since there will not be much difference on the length & dimensions, I suppose the minimum turning radius will be 5.0m for both. 

Exterior:

Inspira is not adopting the current front skirting as current GT. Rear part is the same by looking at the leaked photo of Inspira. To some consumer, without the front design, the “Terrific Appearance” of GT is totally lost. But I supposed most users will surely spend some fortune to modify it up to EVO X version in no time after purchase.

Cockpit:

3-spoke leather with audio control, power steering, leather wrapped gearshift knob, back-lit meters with speedometer, tachometer & rheostat and multi information display.

Basically Inspira & GT will have the similar features except for the cruise control which is only available for Inspira.

Interior:

Mitsubishi Lancer (CBU)      : Nappa Leather

Proton Inspira (CKD)           : Normal Leather/Fabric

I doubt Proton will put in Nappa leather for Inspira. Cost is a factor obviously. The most we can expect will be the quality of leather found in Persona Elegance which is not bad, but will lose the competitiveness against GT.

Body Structure:

Mitsubishi Lancer (CBU)      : RISE

Proton Inspira (CKD)           : 5 Star Body Rating

After long years being called “Protin”, we do hope that the 5-Star body rating of the Inspira will be as good as the GT RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) standard. 

Other Areas:

Proton intended to cut the Japan parts by at least 60% by the end of 2011. 

According to source, the 1^st batch of Inspira will have no big difference as GT but not those produced after that. Though the vehicle parts will be more than enough but as a consumer we do need further convincing of the local assemblymen. 

Most welcome problems for local cars will be the Power Window Switch and Orchestra Performance in the car while passing through rough roads.

Proton is offering 2 years free service or 50,000km for labor & parts especially for those early birds who made their bookings from 15/10/2010 till 15/11/2010. 

Anyway, Mitsubishi is offering the same with no time limit. As usual, there will be a catch. How much is the normal maintenance cost for Mitsubishi or Proton? As an owner obviously we do not want to end up paying high maintenance costs after the FREE period.

Trunk storage for Lancer GT is 400 liter. In terms of Proton, even Saga is having 413 liter storage capacity, so we may expect some modification in the rear part of Inspira which suits Proton’s philosophy of Family Car.

Proton is giving away the tinted film for Inspira which is not available for GT. Retail price for 4M Tinted is about RM 2400.00

Fuel capacity for 2.0 GT is running on 59 liter. Should the capacity be the same for 1.8 Inspira? We are still waiting for the fuel consumption report. GT is compatible with RON95, same goes to Inspira?

GT is having 5 years warranty or 100,000km whichever earlier. With the EWP scheme for Proton, Inspira should get the same warranty period. If I have not remember wrongly, during the initial costing of Inspira, the HP interest rate is different for those subscribing EWP and those who do not. Of course the rate for having EWP is higher. Anyway, this clause is not found in the price list, but that doesn’t mean that Proton has taken away the condition. This must be confirmed upon official launch of the vehicle.

Interest Rate:

Hire Purchase Interest rate for Proton is relatively high comparing Mitsubishi & other brands. The rate shoots up to 4.00% for 9 years tenor whereas other offers a rate to as low as 2.68%.

Proton informed that due to the low financed amount of their vehicles, they have no choice of offering lower interest rate. On that, I leave it to all the potential buyers out there.

 

Comments:

The name “Inspira” named as Proton intend to inspire all Malaysian. Of course, the inspiration we get may vary due to different expectation.

To all GT owners or more accurately, Lancer owners, they are not happy with the production of Inspira simply because the second value of their car dropped significantly. Plus, with the growing numbers of the Lancer-Look-Alike on the road, the premium of owning the CBU Lancer will lose immediately (nearly identical exterior design).

For others, Inspira will give an option while considering Slyphy, Civic & Altis as this version of Proton Car is showing a competitive quality at affordable price. Whether or not the Inspira will other models a hit will be another area the market is observing.  After all, rebatching of cars is not a new thing. Thus, instead of giving critics, why don’t we let the market to decide the true value of Inspira?

In my opinion, Mitsubishi is getting more than we expect. They are giving away chasis for Lancer but in return, platform for Persona & Exora. We all know that these are the current best sellers for Proton. Mitsubishi can just change the existing Campro engine and utilized the platform to create a new version of passenger car. Also, with the recent launching of Lancer Sportback & ASX, I am anticipating Lancer Version XI in near future or perhaps mid 2011.

Please don’t forget about the possibility of Dual VVT-I engine which will be introduced to the current version of Vios & Camry. Also, Civic is hitting the road with a new design soon. All these, may happen in the last quarter of 2011.

No matter how the market turns out to be, buyer will always be the ultimate beneficiary. If you’re not looking for a car urgently, observe how the market transforms then only come to a conclusion of which car to choose. Save more money to buy better car rather than throw in 10% deposit now to get lower interest rate.

No one will know how the interest rate will be. Waiting doesn’t mean that the rate must goes up. Look into more non-monetary value areas such as the features of the car. Business is all about strategies. The moment they are throwing discounts and etc may imply two things; One, they may ceased the production of the model, or; Two, there will be a newer or facelift version of the model which they intend to focus more upon official launching.

Since buying a car is a large capital investment other than a property, please don’t rush into it. Of course if all you have is money and buying a car is simply a flick of finger to you, kindly spare me some cash…haha~

初恋的迷思

常常在想, 如果BOTAK真的遇到了打架鱼,结果将会如何?

即便事过境迁,人事已非;但能够在茫茫人海中再次相遇,又何尝不是缘呢?

既然有缘,何必放任她离开?

BOTAK会压抑得住心里那股澎湃吗?

初恋总要带一点失望和伤感,.就像barley冰对BOTAK的痴情; 马磷帆对打架鱼的错爱.

这都是初恋的最佳写照…

看了ice kacang, 不禁喜欢上了打架鱼, 许久不能自己.

要怪的, 只能说自己没有初恋…