industry

A peek under the hood of the global automotive industry.

Malaysia Has a Quiet Factory That's Assembling Porsches and BMWs And Most People Have No Idea It Exists. AI-Generated.
There's a factory in Kedah that assembles Porsches. Not Proton Perdanas with Porsche stickers. Actual Porsches. German Porsches. Ones that get shipped to Thailand and the Philippines and count toward Porsche's global production numbers.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
The Chery Q Is Coming to Thailand for Under RM62k, and Malaysia Can't Pretend It's Not a Problem. AI-Generated.
The Chery Q is launching in Thailand next, priced from around RM50k to under RM62k depending on which trim you pick. And if you're wondering whether that matters for Malaysia, the answer is: it definitely does, because Chery already builds cars here, and Thailand's pricing almost always signals what's coming to the Malaysian market within months.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
Opinion: If Canada's Auto Industry Can't Survive, Let It Fade Away. Courting China Is Not the Solution.. AI-Generated.
Canada's automotive sector is in trouble. Plants are closing. Investment is fleeing. The U.S. tariffs have exposed the industry's vulnerability like never before. Now, the Trudeau government is turning to China in a desperate bid to keep the lights on. But propping up a dying industry by opening the door to cheap Chinese competition is not a solution. It is a surrender.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
New Technologies Are Putting the Car Industry to the Test. AI-Generated.
The global automotive industry stands at a pivotal moment. After decades of relative stability, the sector is facing an unprecedented convergence of disruptive forces: artificial intelligence, software-defined vehicles, shifting consumer expectations, and geopolitical fragmentation. According to KPMG's 25th Annual Global Automotive Executive Survey, which captured the perspectives of 775 senior executives across OEMs, suppliers, dealerships, and mobility services, the industry is no longer merely evolving; it is being fundamentally redefined.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
Legacy Car Brands Are Trading Their Greatest Asset for a Product Spec Sheet. AI-Generated.
There's a particular kind of strategic blindness that happens when companies get desperate. A person working inside the legacy automotive industry recently described how their manufacturer's entire marketing and PR budget has shifted focus: away from brand building, toward selling product. Specifically, toward hitting EV targets, satisfying emissions legislation, placating shareholders, and summoning showroom traffic through sheer product-focused promotional effort.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
BMW Hasn't Ruled Out More Fast Wagons for the U.S.. AI-Generated.
BMW surprised and delighted its hardcore U.S. fans with the M3 CS Handschalter, combining performance-oriented goodies like titanium exhaust parts and carbon-ceramic brakes with a genuine three-pedal setup and manual gearbox. Ever since the E36 M3, North America hasn't often received special M3 variants, but this CS model flipped the script, being only available on this side of the Atlantic.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
Forget the G-Wagon: This Guy Is Crossing Central Asia in a 30-Year-Old BMW 5 Series.. AI-Generated.
There's a particular trap that overlanding culture has fallen into in recent years: the belief that the adventure can't start until the vehicle is perfect. The lift kit needs to be installed. The roof rack needs upgrading. The recovery gear needs to be exactly right. Years pass. The "build" is never quite finished. The trip never quite happens.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
Porsche Is Killing the Taycan Wagon Variants And American Buyers Have Only Themselves to Blame. AI-Generated.
Wagons have always had a difficult relationship with the American car market. They're practical, often beautifully proportioned, and beloved by a passionate but stubbornly small segment of enthusiasts who understand exactly what they're getting and don't care that everyone else wants an SUV instead. Porsche's Taycan wagons were no exception to this pattern, and now they're paying the price for it.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
Maserati's 2027 Grecale Gets More Accessible, And Its EV Finally Gets Real Range. AI-Generated.
Maserati has spent the last few years steadily democratizing access to its Nettuno V-6 engine across the Grecale lineup, and the 2027 model year pushes that strategy further with a new base trim that undercuts the previous entry point while keeping the same engine that made the Modena appealing in the first place.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
The Reborn Toyota MR2: A Work in Progress That's Already Thrilling. AI-Generated.
It has been said that test mules are bugs. Shod with GPS antennas, they often crawl through development resembling stag beetles instead of something any of us would drive. If we are ever fortunate enough to see them, it is usually by mistake or via the telephoto lens of some fancy helicopter-having spy photographer.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
40,000 Tesla Drivers in the Netherlands Are Now Using "Full Self Driving" Here's What That Actually Means. AI-Generated.
The Netherlands has become Europe's testing ground for Tesla's most controversial software feature, and the early numbers being reported by Dutch regulators are notable: 40,000 Teslas have begun using the carmaker's "Full Self-Driving" driver assistance software, collectively logging 24 million kilometres without any serious incidents.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel
Porsche Just Promised There Will Never Be an Electric 911, and That's the Right Call. AI-Generated.
There are cars, and then there are icons. The Porsche 911 belongs to the second category so completely that the distinction barely needs arguing. It has been in continuous production since 1963, evolved through generations without ever losing the essential thread of what it is, and accumulated a devotion among drivers that few objects of any kind inspire. It is not simply a sports car. It is the sports car against which other sports cars are measured.
By Mark Lim 4 months ago in Wheel