15/03/2026

theSunday Special XV ON SUNDAY MAR 15, 2026

Serene Serena Nissan e-Power C28 hits the road with five variants

THE all-new 2026 Nissan Serena e Power C28 has finally been launched in Malaysia. There will be five vari ants with prices starting at RM154,800 and topping out at RM 179,800. The five variants and their respec tive pricing are as follows and includes a five-year/100,000km war ranty as well as an eight year/160,000km warranty for the e Power components. The Serena e-Power X starts at RM154,800 and moves up to the Serena e-Power X Plus that is RM159,800, followed by the Serena e Power Highway Star at RM169,800 and the Serena e-Power Premium Highway Star at RM174,800 before the flagship Serena e-Power Shiro Premium Highway Star that tops out at RM 179,800. Propelling the Serena is Nissan’s second-generation e-Power system,

At the rear, a redesigned tailgate features boomerang-shaped LED tail lights joined by a chrome strip. Versatility is the name of the MPV game, and the Serena offers 13 seating configurations and seats seven, a walk-through cabin layout, two-way sliding captain’s chairs, hands-free sliding doors and Nissan’s signature dual-back door. Practical touches include fold-out trays and seat hooks for second-row passengers, USB ports across all three rows and a wireless charging pad in the centre console. Colours options comprise Brilliant White and Diamond Black for the X and X Plus. The Highway Star gets the addition of Dark Metal Grey and Turquoise Blue while the Premium Highway Star and Shiro share the same four colours but with a black roof.

of range if driven economically. The new model retains the distinct Serena boxy design language but with cosmetic changes that refresh the exterior. Up front is the latest evolu tion of Nissan’s V-Motion grille, flanked by sleek triple-projector LED headlamps, LED daytime running lights and LED fog lamps. The sculpted front bumper is a blend of form and function to move air efficiently around it. Even its signature stepped window profile, with slim pillars, a low win dow sill and large glass areas ensuring excellent visibility for all three rows has been kept.

which sees the MPV driven entirely by an electric motor making 163PS and 315Nm of torque. Running alongside the electric motor but functioning purely as a gen erator to charge the 1.77kWh lithium ion battery is the HR14DDe 1.4-litre DOHC three-cylinder naturally-aspi rated petrol engine. Drivers can choose from Standard, Sport and Eco drive modes, while the e-Pedal Step function allows for the convenience of near single-pedal driv ing in urban conditions. Fuel consumption is rated at 18.5km per litre under the NEDC cycle, allowing it the potential of over 900km

Will the Middle East war affect our price of petrol?

But the one thing that we cannot rely on GPS applications to tell us is the loca tion of an available parking lot. This might soon change because according to reports coming out of the United States, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on developing a pro gram that can give you the best chance of locating a parking spot that is closest to your destination. Thought still in its infancy, the system will not only give you your drive and arri val time but will also give you the loca tion of the optimal parking area that is closest to where you need to go. This is so that you don’t have to drive around looking for parking even though you have reached your destination. We all know how frustrating that can be. So while we may need to keep an eye on the long term effects of the ongoing situation in the Middle East, automotive tech is about to get better.

choked at the Straits of Hormuz, superpowers like China, the world’s largest oil importer, is going to start feel ing the heat.

are running out of fuel alto gether. This is not good especially for farmer’s whose machinery run on diesel. So if there’s no diesel, the coun try’s food supply faces a problem. This is a direct conse quence of the war in Iran right now, and it is because of

BY NOW, we should all be over the ini tial shock of the war raging in the Middle East. Wars seem inevitable these days, it is just a matter of when and where. Those of you who count yourselves lucky because we are not in the thick of it, I have bad news. We may not have to deal with the bullets and missiles, but the fall out will eventually affect all of us. In the form of.the price of oil. Malaysians are lucky that our oil is subsidised by the government. I for one am appreciative of the government’s efforts, but I know holding the price of RON 95 at RM1.99 is going to be tough considering the price per barrel is hover ing at US$100 at the time of writing. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Aziz has assured Malaysians that the government is in a good place to hold on to the subsidised price of oil for at least two months. Some parts of the world like Australia are already facing a dire situation. They

Will China get involved in the conflict? I hope not, because if they do, it will be one nuclear armed country against another. But with fuel imports directly affecting their economy and its people, China may not have a choice. So for humanity’s sake, I hope it all ends soon. But it is not all doom and gloom. There is some good news com ing from the automotive world though. While this has nothing to do with cars nor motorcycles, it has to do with auto motive tech, specifically the humble GPS system. We all rely a lot of applica tions like Waze and Google Maps to tell us everything about road and traffic conditions. Even the location of speed cameras and police roadblocks.

WRITTEN BY KESHY DHILLON

this, Australia is considering getting directly involved in the conflict. And if they do, that means the war will spread beyond the Middle East. What can we do then? Our Prime Minister has asked to tighten our belts and avoid unnecessary spending. Simple and wise words. There is no other way to put it. Donald Trump is not going to read your Facebook post ask ing for an end the war and immediately oblige. We have to deal with it the best way we can, manage expenditure. If the supply of oil continues to be