Latest news with #Maric
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
MIGHT rolls out two innovation centres to drive local tech in rail and smart city sectors
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, has launched two innovation centres to drive local technology development in the rail and smart city sectors. The launch of the Industrial Technology Innovation Centre (Itic) and the Smart City Experience and Next Generation Innovation Centre (Scenic) was held in conjunction with MIGHT's 30th annual general meeting. MIGHT said the Itic programme was developed in collaboration with the Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation (Maric) and the Malaysia Smart Cities Alliance Association to support the deployment of home-grown solutions. 'The programme seeks to drive the deployment of home-grown technological solutions across the rail and smart city sectors, enhancing Malaysia's position in high-tech innovation,' it said. As part of the initiative, Maric partnered Tech Store Malaysia to develop a Smart Rail Monitoring System that leverages real-time data and predictive analytics to enhance maintenance and operational efficiency. 'Real-time monitoring of train location, speed, axle counting, and overload detection is an important feature supporting predictive and preventive maintenance to reduce downtime and improve safety,' MIGHT said. MIGHT said it has released the Malaysia Rail Industry Report, developed with input from stakeholders, to highlight emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing, remote monitoring, smart stations and green technologies. 'Featured technologies include additive manufacturing, rail flaw detection systems, energy-efficient and green technologies, advanced training tools, data-driven decision making, remote monitoring, smart maintenance, train automation, and smart station infrastructure.' it added. The Scenic facility, built using composite materials under the Industrialised Building System, is intended as a collaborative hub to showcase and demonstrate local smart city technologies. 'It also acts as a bridge between innovation and policy, facilitating the deployment of future technologies in alignment with national urban development goals,' MIGHT said. Furthermore, a Smart City Directory has also been introduced to catalogue technologies, products and services along the smart city value chain to support data-driven decision-making among municipalities and industry players. 'These initiatives reflect MIGHT's ongoing commitment to strengthening Malaysia's innovation landscape through nurturing local technological capabilities,' it said. MIGHT added that the efforts support the 10 by 10 Malaysian Science, Technology, Innovation and Economy (MySTIE) Framework and the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2021-2030. 'The Itic programme will continue to expand across multiple platforms to advance strategic technologies and socioeconomic drivers, ensuring Malaysia's position at the forefront of global innovation in transport and urban development,' it said. – Bernama
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Residents band together to sell homes as mid-rise housing changes kick in
The owners of seven adjoining homes in southern Sydney have banded together to sell their properties, which are in an area where six-storey apartments are now allowed. They are the first known group of Sutherland Shire residents to test the market since the Low and Mid Rise Housing Policy came into effect on February 28. With the potential for about 80 apartments to be built on the 150 metre long, 3686 square metre site, the price guide is about $20 million. The properties, 44-52 Denman Avenue and 49a and 49b Woolooware Road, back on to the train line and are just a few minutes' walk to Woolooware station. Under the state government's new housing policy, six storey apartment blocks are permissible within 400 metres of a nominated station or centre, and four-storey blocks are allowed within 800 metres. Woolooware is one of 10 nominated stations or centres in the shire. Marko Maric, of Pulse Property Agents, which has listed the potential development site, said the group of residents had "come together as neighbours to see if they can sell to a large-scale developer and achieve a premium price for their land". "I know some of the owners and, when I phoned one to update them on the changes, I found they had already been talking to each other about their options. "They were ahead of the curve, which is quite unusual in that space. "Usually when you have quite a few different owners you get different opinions and it's hard to get them to agree." Mr Maric said, leading up to the housing changes, the residents had received door knocks from developers. "That got them thinking whether they should work together, rather than just sell to anyone who knocked on the door," he said. The owners of seven adjoining homes in southern Sydney have banded together to sell their properties, which are in an area where six-storey apartments are now allowed. They are the first known group of Sutherland Shire residents to test the market since the Low and Mid Rise Housing Policy came into effect on February 28. With the potential for about 80 apartments to be built on the 150 metre long, 3686 square metre site, the price guide is about $20 million. The properties, 44-52 Denman Avenue and 49a and 49b Woolooware Road, back on to the train line and are just a few minutes' walk to Woolooware station. Under the state government's new housing policy, six storey apartment blocks are permissible within 400 metres of a nominated station or centre, and four-storey blocks are allowed within 800 metres. Woolooware is one of 10 nominated stations or centres in the shire. Marko Maric, of Pulse Property Agents, which has listed the potential development site, said the group of residents had "come together as neighbours to see if they can sell to a large-scale developer and achieve a premium price for their land". "I know some of the owners and, when I phoned one to update them on the changes, I found they had already been talking to each other about their options. "They were ahead of the curve, which is quite unusual in that space. "Usually when you have quite a few different owners you get different opinions and it's hard to get them to agree." Mr Maric said, leading up to the housing changes, the residents had received door knocks from developers. "That got them thinking whether they should work together, rather than just sell to anyone who knocked on the door," he said. The owners of seven adjoining homes in southern Sydney have banded together to sell their properties, which are in an area where six-storey apartments are now allowed. They are the first known group of Sutherland Shire residents to test the market since the Low and Mid Rise Housing Policy came into effect on February 28. With the potential for about 80 apartments to be built on the 150 metre long, 3686 square metre site, the price guide is about $20 million. The properties, 44-52 Denman Avenue and 49a and 49b Woolooware Road, back on to the train line and are just a few minutes' walk to Woolooware station. Under the state government's new housing policy, six storey apartment blocks are permissible within 400 metres of a nominated station or centre, and four-storey blocks are allowed within 800 metres. Woolooware is one of 10 nominated stations or centres in the shire. Marko Maric, of Pulse Property Agents, which has listed the potential development site, said the group of residents had "come together as neighbours to see if they can sell to a large-scale developer and achieve a premium price for their land". "I know some of the owners and, when I phoned one to update them on the changes, I found they had already been talking to each other about their options. "They were ahead of the curve, which is quite unusual in that space. "Usually when you have quite a few different owners you get different opinions and it's hard to get them to agree." Mr Maric said, leading up to the housing changes, the residents had received door knocks from developers. "That got them thinking whether they should work together, rather than just sell to anyone who knocked on the door," he said. The owners of seven adjoining homes in southern Sydney have banded together to sell their properties, which are in an area where six-storey apartments are now allowed. They are the first known group of Sutherland Shire residents to test the market since the Low and Mid Rise Housing Policy came into effect on February 28. With the potential for about 80 apartments to be built on the 150 metre long, 3686 square metre site, the price guide is about $20 million. The properties, 44-52 Denman Avenue and 49a and 49b Woolooware Road, back on to the train line and are just a few minutes' walk to Woolooware station. Under the state government's new housing policy, six storey apartment blocks are permissible within 400 metres of a nominated station or centre, and four-storey blocks are allowed within 800 metres. Woolooware is one of 10 nominated stations or centres in the shire. Marko Maric, of Pulse Property Agents, which has listed the potential development site, said the group of residents had "come together as neighbours to see if they can sell to a large-scale developer and achieve a premium price for their land". "I know some of the owners and, when I phoned one to update them on the changes, I found they had already been talking to each other about their options. "They were ahead of the curve, which is quite unusual in that space. "Usually when you have quite a few different owners you get different opinions and it's hard to get them to agree." Mr Maric said, leading up to the housing changes, the residents had received door knocks from developers. "That got them thinking whether they should work together, rather than just sell to anyone who knocked on the door," he said.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Warning after 13,490 Ford 4WDs recalled over risk of 'injury or death'
Thousands of Ford drivers are on alert after a recall was issued for two of the most popular vehicles on Australian roads. Close to 13,500 Rangers and Everest 4WD SUVs powered by the company's 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 'Lion' engine have been revealed to have a potentially fatal flaw. 'Due to a manufacturing defect, the left-hand engine camshaft sprocket may fracture. As a result, the engine could stall leading to a sudden loss of motive power whilst driving,' the manufacturer said in its recall notice, which applies to 13,490 cars built between 2022 and 2025. 'A sudden loss of motive power whilst driving increases the risk of an accident, which may result in serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.' Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Paul Maric, founder of CarExpert, said he was 'surprised' it's taken this long for Ford to pick up on the issue, and that it wasn't detected 'during the initial engineering process for the vehicle'. 'This is a vehicle that's been designed and engineered here in Australia, and Ford claims that this is an issue with a third party supplier that has supplied a camshaft sprocket to this engine that's causing these failures,' he said. Every vehicle on the recall list will need to be inspected, but they may not necessarily all need new parts. Although the repairs will be 'free of charge' for customers, Maric said the engine issue is 'disappointing given the amount of money that's been invested in this product' and that 'something as big as this could have been missed from the outset'. ⛺️ Camping couple stranded for three days on road after 4WD gets bogged 🚘 P-plater's 'stupid' 4WD decision in national park stuns Aussies 💥 Warning after Aussie couple's 'scary' caravan rollover just 50km from home The Ford Ranger is Australia's best selling car and 'a large chunk of those sales are the V6 model', Maric explained. They are primarily purchased to tow heavy items such as caravans, trailers and boats. 'There are only a small number of vehicles that have had failures, but in saying that, if a vehicle does lose power while it's driving, particularly while it's towing, you all of a sudden potentially lose power assistance to things like steering and brakes,' Maric told Yahoo, adding that while Ford hasn't confirmed 'whether that's the case', it likely would be in a 'worst case scenario'. 'I couldn't think of a worse situation to be in if you are driving 100km/h with a three-and-a-half ton caravan on the back of your vehicle, and then all of a sudden you have this loss of power. 'So if it does happen to anyone that is driving one of these vehicles, I highly recommend putting it in neutral and making your way off the motorway as safely and as soon as practical.' A spokesperson for Ford said the engine failure may occur 'with no prior warning to the driver', but despite this risk, they should 'continue to drive their vehicles as normal'. 'Dealers have been instructed to visually inspect the left-hand camshaft sprocket to identify the build date and replace the sprockets and associated parts if required,' the spokesperson told 'This service will be performed on all affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner.' The recall applies to 13,490 vehicles in Australia and another 647 in New Zealand, he added. Ford will contact owners of the affected vehicles to request they visit an Authorised Ford Dealer. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
$30,000 EV change from today despite desperate pleas: 'Worst possible time'
The fringe benefits tax exemption for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) ends today, despite experts begging for it to be extended. The 2022 policy served as a financial incentive for drivers to dump their internal combustion engines (ICE) and hop on the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon. It helped shave tens of thousands of dollars off the cost of buying a PHEV, and, despite its success, the government has committed to ending it on Tuesday, April 1. founder Paul Maric told Yahoo Finance that PHEVs had become the perfect middle ground between ICE cars and EVs. "People are switching away from electric vehicles to plug-in hybrids," he said. Electric car drivers lose out in Coalition's $6 billion plan to lower petrol prices: 'Save $700 per year' Rare $1 coin worth up to $3,000: 'Crazy errors' Centrelink blow for millions on JobSeeker, Age Pension as federal budget denies cash boost "It's the worst time possible for this kind of thing because the people just don't want to buy electric vehicles and they're going to be removing the only real subsidy that is currently sort of gaining traction." Research released in October showed that 61 per cent of PHEV owners bought their cars specifically because of the FBT exemption. Additionally, 90 per cent said the tax break made a "big difference" in their data from the National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association also found PHEVs were the perfect "stepping stone" between an ICE and a battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV). It's because PHEVs gave drivers the best of both worlds. They can use petrol on longer journeys where they might have range anxiety or worries about where the next charger might be, and then they can switch to the battery for short trips. That's why Maric said it was such a shame that the FBT exemption was being dumped today. "When you do the sums on it, you can actually go down the path of buying a $20,000 to $30,000 more expensive electric vehicle and still have it cost the same as a cheaper vehicle once you take into account the tax benefits that you get out of it," he told Yahoo Finance. Several peak industry bodies begged for the FBT exemption to be extended well beyond April 1 as the electric car sector continued to find its feet in the market. They're worried that removing incentives will cause more people to stick with or switch back to an ICE vehicle. "We know the FBT exemption is an important tool that is helping more Australians afford and access the latest EVs," Electric Vehicle Council policy head Aman Gaur said. PHEVs have been growing in popularity, according to the Australian Automobile Association, with 7,556 sales in the December quarter, compared to 4,476 a year earlier. However, BEVs have stagnated. There were 21,331 sales in the last three months of 2024, compared to 21,474 in 2023's December quarter. National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association chief executive Rohan Martin said removing the tax cut was a "lost opportunity". "Once the bulk of people move into a plug-in hybrid, they're on their electrification journey," he said. Back in October, the government revealed that PHEVs would no longer be considered "a zero or low emissions vehicle" under FBT law and therefore wouldn't be "eligible for the electric cars exemption". The only people who will be exempt from this change will be those who continue to have a "financially binding commitment" that was in place before the April 1 deadline. That type of commitment is what's known as a novated lease. There are a few ways to ensure that the FBT can still apply to you after April 1: Optional extensions to your agreement, but it has to be for a pre-determined period of time. Breaks in novation agreements, however, the car cannot be used or available for personal use during that time off Changes to the financial obligations under the lease, which include alterations to lease payments or the residual value of the car Changed employer for FBT purposes, as that results in a new commitment to the application or availability of the car by the new employer Other changes in the pre-existing commitment for your PHEV on or after April 1, then the FBT exemption will no longer apply. Ending the exemption means car owners will likely have to fork out more for their payments, and their balloon payment at the end could be higher than expected. Maric said the second-hand PHEV market could soon be flooded with cars as people seek to offload their rides. He also said the tax change could see a shakeup in the EV industry. "I think we're going to see a big shift towards regular hybrids," he said. "People realise that that is the type of vehicle you need to buy if you want to protect your re-sale value, and if you still want the benefits of having a fuel and energy efficient vehicle. "Stepping up to a plug-in hybrid or even an electric vehicle, you're adding the complexity of having these batteries and then the charging equipment. "Whereas with a hybrid, we're seeing them hold their value extremely well, and anything electric at the moment is depreciating."
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
$30,000 EV change from tomorrow despite desperate pleas: 'Worst possible time'
The fringe benefits tax exemption for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) ends this week, despite experts begging for it to be extended. The 2022 policy served as a financial incentive for drivers to dump their internal combustion engines (ICE) and hop on the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon. It helped shave tens of thousands of dollars off the cost of buying a PHEV, and, despite its success, the government has committed to ending it on Tuesday, April 1. founder Paul Maric told Yahoo Finance that PHEVs had become the perfect middle ground between ICE cars and EVs. "People are switching away from electric vehicles to plug-in hybrids," he said. Electric car drivers lose out in Coalition's $6 billion plan to lower petrol prices: 'Save $700 per year' Rare $1 coin worth up to $3,000: 'Crazy errors' Centrelink blow for millions on JobSeeker, Age Pension as federal budget denies cash boost "It's the worst time possible for this kind of thing because the people just don't want to buy electric vehicles and they're going to be removing the only real subsidy that is currently sort of gaining traction." Research released in October showed that 61 per cent of PHEV owners bought their cars specifically because of the FBT exemption. Additionally, 90 per cent said the tax break made a "big difference" in their data from the National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association also found PHEVs were the perfect "stepping stone" between an ICE and a battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV). It's because PHEVs gave drivers the best of both worlds. They can use petrol on longer journeys where they might have range anxiety or worries about where the next charger might be, and then they can switch to the battery for short trips. That's why Maric said it was such a shame that the FBT exemption was being dumped tomorrow. "When you do the sums on it, you can actually go down the path of buying a $20,000 to $30,000 more expensive electric vehicle and still have it cost the same as a cheaper vehicle once you take into account the tax benefits that you get out of it," he told Yahoo Finance. Several peak industry bodies begged for the FBT exemption to be extended well beyond April 1 as the electric car sector continued to find its feet in the market. They're worried that removing incentives will cause more people to stick with or switch back to an ICE vehicle. "We know the FBT exemption is an important tool that is helping more Australians afford and access the latest EVs," Electric Vehicle Council policy head Aman Gaur said. PHEVs have been growing in popularity, according to the Australian Automobile Association, with 7,556 sales in the December quarter, compared to 4,476 a year earlier. However, BEVs have stagnated. There were 21,331 sales in the last three months of 2024, compared to 21,474 in 2023's December quarter. National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association chief executive Rohan Martin said removing the tax cut was a "lost opportunity". "Once the bulk of people move into a plug-in hybrid, they're on their electrification journey," he said. Back in October, the government revealed that PHEVs would no longer be considered "a zero or low emissions vehicle" under FBT law and therefore wouldn't be "eligible for the electric cars exemption". The only people who will be exempt from this change will be those who continue to have a "financially binding commitment" that was in place before the April 1 deadline. That type of commitment is what's known as a novated lease. There are a few ways to ensure that the FBT can still apply to you after April 1: Optional extensions to your agreement, but it has to be for a pre-determined period of time. Breaks in novation agreements, however, the car cannot be used or available for personal use during that time off Changes to the financial obligations under the lease, which include alterations to lease payments or the residual value of the car Changed employer for FBT purposes, as that results in a new commitment to the application or availability of the car by the new employer Other changes in the pre-existing commitment for your PHEV on or after April 1, then the FBT exemption will no longer apply. Ending the exemption means car owners will likely have to fork out more for their payments, and their balloon payment at the end could be higher than expected. Maric said the second-hand PHEV market could soon be flooded with cars as people seek to offload their rides. He also said the tax change could see a shakeup in the EV industry. "I think we're going to see a big shift towards regular hybrids," he said. "People realise that that is the type of vehicle you need to buy if you want to protect your re-sale value, and if you still want the benefits of having a fuel and energy efficient vehicle. "Stepping up to a plug-in hybrid or even an electric vehicle, you're adding the complexity of having these batteries and then the charging equipment. "Whereas with a hybrid, we're seeing them hold their value extremely well, and anything electric at the moment is depreciating."
