..size it...

Downsizing is the new in-word in the automotive industry, and we don’t mean using it in the General Motors’ boardroom.
With the growing concern for the environment and scarcity of resources, car companies these days are told to look into downsizing as a means to achieve better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
But to be honest, all efforts are gigantic is size when compared to the three-wheeled Peel P50 which was manufactured between 1962 and 1965.
With enough space for a single driver’s seat, one-door and a tiny 49cc 4.2hp single cylinder engine, the Peel P50 still is the smallest production car of all time.

(from left) Caan, Hillman and Khan, note the size of the Peel cars with the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

And it has been reported that the Peel P50, together with its “sporty” version, the Peel Trident, would be making a comeback as an electric vehicle.
The Peel name has been revived by car enthusiast Gary Hillman together with business partner Faizal Khan and funding from James Caan, who has a 30 per cent stake in the operation.
However don’t expect to see the Peel sharing the same parking lot with your Kancil anytime soon as Peel Engineering would be making just 50 special limited edition Peel Cars and according to the website, more than half has been sold at a whopping price of £12,499 (RM60,789).
To give everyone an idea of what £12,499 is; that money could get a British household a well-spec Honda Jazz.
That said the Peel sounds more of a retro paraphernalia rather than a serious competitor to the likes of BMW’s MINI or the Fiat 500.
But then again the Peel P50 would be axed immediately by modern safety legislations.
Furthermore there is no indication the website of the company producing anything more than a limited run of the car and it looks like the company is content on selling Peel memorabilia.
This tiny car was made famous by British television show Top Gear where the lead host famously drove it through an office building, without damaging anything!

choices..choices..

WHAT THOSE WHO KNEW HIM SAID OF HIM..

"Rasulullah (saas) was so clean, clear, beautiful and handsome."

'He was neither very tall nor excessively short, but was a man of medium size. He had neither very curly nor flowing hair but a mixture of both... He was reddish-white, he had wide black eyes and long eyelashes. He had protruding joints and shoulder-blades… Between his shoulders was the seal of prophecy... He had a finer chest than anyone else, was truer in utterance than anyone else, had the gentlest nature and the noblest lineage. Those who saw him stood suddenly in awe of him and those who shared his acquaintance loved him. Those who described him said they had never seen anyone like him before or since'.

"His expression was pensive and contemplative, serene and sublime. The stranger was fascinated from the distance, but no sooner he became intimate with him, than this fascination was changed into attachment and respect. His expression was very sweet and distinct. His speech was well set and free from the use of superfluous words, as if it were rosary of beads. His stature was neither too high nor too small. He was singularly bright and fresh. He was always surrounded by his Companions. Whenever he uttered something, the listeners would hear him with rapt attention and whenever he issued a commandment, they vied with each other in carrying it out."

"He used to smile much before his companions…"

"I have not seen anyone who makes a person more cheerful than Rasulullah (saas)."

"Rasulullah (saas) used to mingle with us and joke."

Imam Ghazzali, after studying all the Hadiths, summed Muhammad (saas) up in the following words:

"The Holy Prophet (saas) was the most patient among men, the bravest, the best judge, and he who pardoned most. ... he was the most charitable man. He did not pass a single night hoarding a single dirham or dinar. Whenever any excess money came to him and if he did not then get anyone to accept it as charity, he did not return home till he gave it to the poor and the needy. He did not store up for more than a year the provision of his family members which Allah was pleased to give him. He used to take one fifth of what easily came to him out of dates and wheat. What remained in excess, he used to give in charity. He used to give away in charity to him who begged of him of anything, even out of his stored up provision.

He did not take any revenge for personal wrongs but he used take it for preservation of the honor of Allah.

He used to speak the truth even though it was sometimes a cause of trouble to himself and his companions.

He was the most modest, without pride, and his tongue was most eloquent without prolongation of speech. His constitution was the most beatiful. No worldly duties could keep him busy.

He used to go even to a distant place to see the sick, loved scents and hated a stench or bad smell, sat with the poor and the destitute, ate with them, honored those possessing honor, advised them to do good and show kindness to relatives. He did not treat harshly to anybody and accepted excuses offered to him.

He accepted sports and pastimes as lawful, played with his wives and held races with them.... He did not hate the poor for their poverty nor fear the kings for their mighty power. He used to call the people, high or low towards Allah. Allah adorned him with all the qualities and good administration

At the time when the Quran was being revealed to him, he used to smile most. When something happened, he entrusted it to Allah, kept himself free from his own strength and ability and said in invocation: 'O Allah, show me truth in a true manner or give me grace to give it up. You guide to the straight path whomsoever You will.'

Allah revealed the Quran to him and through it He taught him good manners."

MUHAMMAD (saas) IS THE WAY TO JANNAH (PARADISE)

"All of my Ummah (followers) will enter the Paradise (il-lâ man abâ) except for those who hold themselves back and refuse to enter it." When they asked who would refused Paradise, Muhammad (saas) replied: "Whoever obeys me and follows me enters the Paradise. (Wa man 'asànî) whoever disobeys me and does not follow my path, my sunnah, (faqad abâ) he would refrain from entering the paradise."

"Try to pass your mornings and evenings in a state where your heart is free from all ill-feelings, jealousy and hatred for everyone, and remember that this is my Sunnah, and he who loves my Sunnah will be with me in paradise."

In The Quran Muhammad is promised Paradise


"Verily We have promised thee (Muhammad) the Kauther (a fountain in paradise), So pray unto thy Lord and sacrifice! The one who hates you shall be cut off of hope!"

"Drink once from this spring my dear friend; you will never feel thirsty again. Then something happens to you, and you get excited so much that you could neither cry nor stop." -Turkish Poet, Arif Nihat Asya.

when and if i grow up...

...i want one of these....a ferrari fxx evoluzione..costing a cool USD 10 million..until then ...dreammm on......its da exorra babehhh...huhu

The Importance of Frugal Engineering

Providing new goods and services to “bottom of the pyramid” customers requires a radical rethinking of product development.

A cell phone that makes phone calls — and does little else; a portable refrigerator the size of a small cooler; a car that sells for about US$2,200 (100,000 rupees). These are some of the results of “frugal engineering,” a powerful and ultimately essential approach to developing products and services in emerging markets.

To get a handle on what frugal engineering is, it helps to understand what it is not. Frugal engineering is not simply low-cost engineering. It is not a scheme to boost profit margins by squeezing the marrow out of suppliers’ bones. It is not simply the latest take on the decades-long focus on cost cutting.

Instead, frugal engineering is an overarching philosophy that enables a true “clean sheet” approach to product development. Cost discipline is an intrinsic part of the process, but rather than simply cutting existing costs, frugal engineering seeks to avoid needless costs in the first place. It recognizes that merely removing features from existing products to sell them cheaper in emerging markets is a losing game. That’s because emerging-market customers have unique needs that usually aren’t addressed by mature-market products, and because the cost base of developed world products, even when stripped down, remains too high to allow competitive prices and reasonable profits in the developing world.

Frugal engineering recalls an approach common in the early days of U.S. assembly-line manufacturing: Henry Ford’s Model T is a prime example. But as industries grew and matured over the decades, and as consumers prospered to levels few would have predicted a century ago, product development processes became hardwired and standard operating procedures worked against frugality.

In addition, the profit structure in mature markets reduced incentives for major change. Constant expansion of features available to consumers in the developed world, frivolous or not, has provided many businesses with their richest profit margins. Mature-market customers continue to accept price premiums for new features, leading companies to over-engineer their product lines — at least from the point of view of emerging-market customers. The virtual extinction of manual car windows in the United States is just one example.

Frugal engineering, by contrast, addresses the billions of consumers at the bottom of the pyramid who are quickly moving out of poverty in China, India, Brazil, and other emerging nations. They are enjoying their first tastes of modern prosperity, and are shopping for the basics, not for fancy features. According to C.K. Prahalad, author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (Wharton School Publishing, 2005), these potential customers, “unserved or underserved by the large organized private sector, including multinational firms,” total 4 to 5 billion of the 6.7 billion people on Earth. (See also Prahalad’s “The Innovation Sandbox,” s+b, Autumn 2006.) Although the purchasing power of any of these new consumers as an individual is only a fraction of a consumer’s purchasing power in mature markets, in aggregate they represent a market nearly as large as that of the developed world.

Attracted by the size and rapid growth of emerging markets — concurrent with a growth slowdown in the developed world — companies in a range of industries are establishing distribution and manufacturing operations as well as research and development centers in these regions. However, some of these companies may not fully grasp the challenges that competition in emerging markets entails. The prospect of high-volume profit streams may be enticing, but those profits must be earned in the face of lower prices, lower per-unit profits, and stringent cost targets.

In addition, too few companies realize how demanding emerging-market customers can be. They don’t spend easily, because they don’t have much to spend. They require a different set of product features and functions than their developed-world counterparts, but still insist on high quality. Global companies, therefore, must change the way they think about product design and engineering. Simply selling the cheapest products on hand or reusing technologies from higher-priced products will not cut costs enough and is unlikely to result in the kind of products these new customers will buy.

The central tenet behind every frugal engineering decision is maximizing value to the customer while minimizing nonessential costs. The term frugal engineering was coined in 2006 by Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn to describe the competency of Indian engineers in developing products like Tata Motors’ Nano, the pint-sized, low-cost automobile. Companies such as Suzuki paved the way for the development of low-cost automobiles, but there may be no better example of frugal engineering than the Nano, which will allow millions of people with modest means to reliably drive their own car. The Nano is not — like so many other low-cost vehicles — a stripped-down version of a traditional, more expensive car design. Like other newly engineered products selling well in emerging markets, ranging from refrigerators to laptop computers to X-ray machines, it is based on a bottom-up approach to product development.

Even global companies uninterested in the growth offered by the world’s lowest-income consumers will have to pay attention to the lessons of frugal engineering: Products developed with this approach are beginning to compete with goods sold in developed countries, a trend that’s likely to continue. Deere & Company, for example, designed and sold small, lower-powered tractors in the Indian market, but didn’t begin selling such models in the U.S. until an Indian company, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., beat them to it. Mahindra & Mahindra has proven an able competitor to Deere in larger tractors as well. General Electric (GE), on the other hand, has been more proactive; for example, it has sold a revolutionary new low-cost handheld ultrasound scanner in developed markets by incorporating frugal engineering lessons learned in its Indian medical research and development lab. A low-cost GE electrocardiogram machine, developed at the same Indian lab for the local markets, is now being sold in the United States and Europe as well.

Meeting all these challenges will require a change in corporate culture. Some companies will be up to it; others companies will not. A successful approach to frugal engineering involves new ways of thinking about customers, innovation, and organization.
Understanding the Customer

The ultimate goal of frugal engineering couldn’t be more basic: to provide the essential functions people need — a way to wash clothes, keep food cold, get to work — at a price they can afford. Critical attention to low cost is always accompanied by a commitment to maximizing customer value. The Tata Nano development team’s decision not to include a radio on the standard model wasn’t a simple move to avoid cost. The team understood that the typical Nano customer places far more value on extra storage space. Using what normally would be the radio slot for storage not only avoided a major cost, but also added value for the customer.

Such carefully calculated trade-offs, made at the product planning stage, serve the dual purpose of maintaining low costs and increasing the product’s overall functionality and utility for the buyer. Assessment of those trade-offs requires close, careful observation on the part of planners if they are to arrive at a deep understanding of the ways a product fits (or doesn’t fit) into customers’ lives.

The Nokia 1100 cell phone is another example. Experience has shown that when low-income people in just about any country begin to enjoy a bit of economic prosperity, one of their first purchases is a cell phone. Many new cell phone customers in emerging markets are agricultural workers who spend their days outdoors. When Nokia developers watched field-workers using mobile phones in India, they noticed that the intense humidity made the phones slick and hard to hold or dial. So the phone was built with a nonslip silicon coating on its keypad and sides. The handset was also designed to resist damage from dust that is common in arid climates and some factory environments. The phones are otherwise basic: They can send and receive phone calls and text messages. The screens are monochrome. Because the phones lack fancy software, the power draw is smaller, so they can operate longer between charges. The only real extra is a tiny, energy-efficient flashlight that’s proven popular in areas where power blackouts are common — in other words, in most rural villages and many emerging-market cities. At a price of $15 to $20, the Nokia 1100 is the best-selling cell phone ever.

Refrigerators provide another good example. Customers at the bottom of the pyramid can’t afford traditional energy-sucking, compressor-driven refrigerators, not even the “small” floor models a Western business might have installed under the office credenza to keep drinks cold.

Rather than cut costs out of a bigger refrigerator, India’s Godrej Appliances started with a clean sheet, closely observing the occupants of village huts. Most Indians, they noted, go to the grocery every day. They don’t buy in bulk. A refrigerator that could hold just a few items would be plenty. So Godrej produced the ChotuKool, which translates into “Little Cool” in English.

The top-opening fridge measures 1.5 feet tall by 2 feet wide (roughly 46 by 61 centimeters) and has a capacity of only 1.6 gallons (6 liters). It has no compressor, instead using a cooling chip and fan similar to those that keep desktop computers from overheating. It can run on a battery during the power outages that are inevitable in rural villages. And since rural Indians change residences frequently, the ChotuKool also comes with a handle, making it easier to transport. By keeping the number of parts down to around 20 instead of the 200-plus used in conventional refrigerators, Godrej keeps the price low, too, at about $55. Spending time in people’s homes and watching how they actually use products, rather than relying on focus groups or other secondary or tertiary research, was the key to determining consumer needs.

The frugal engineering approach is not limited to consumer products. Zhongxing Medical, a small medical devices company in China, developed an X-ray machine with a price tag one-twentieth that of the typical X-ray machines made by foreign companies. To achieve this, Zhongxing, a subsidiary of Beijing Aerospace, made a trade-off: Rather than engineer the machine to accommodate the wide range of sophisticated scans common in Western hospitals, the company focused on a machine that could perform only the most routine chest scans, which represent the vast majority of scans. By understanding the fundamental needs of its target hospitals — hospitals that cannot afford a conventionally priced X-ray machine but still hope to serve a majority of patients — Zhongxing has captured about 50 percent of the Chinese X-ray market.
Bottom-up Innovation

Typically, when a well-established automaker designs and builds an inexpensive car, the company’s thinking is biased by decades of practices and procedures, and by its relationships with employees, customers, and suppliers. The approach reuses existing designs and relies on existing components. In essence, these companies start with a more expensive car and focus on ways to make it cheaper. That may count as a form of cost cutting, but it is not frugal engineering.

By contrast, when Tata Motors engineers began creating the Nano, they were inspired more by the three-wheeled vehicles known in India as auto-rickshaws than by any existing car models in Tata Motors’ lineup. Building up from the bare minimum enabled the engineers to achieve their cost (and price) targets without compromising the essential functions of the car. If instead the Tata Nano had been designed on the platform of the then cheapest Tata car, it would have been twice the price.

Consider the conventional approach: Decades’ worth of engineering value is built into even the least expensive of today’s automobiles. Components, right down to the steel used, have steadily become more sophisticated, and often more expensive. The cost base, the design thinking, the very idea of what makes an automobile — all combine into a set of structural costs that simply go unquestioned. Reversing course is difficult, and few want to try. For example, if you asked Western designers to come up with a low-cost wiper system for cars, it’s unlikely they would challenge the fundamental architecture of two wiper blades. But it would be cheaper to place one blade in the center that sweeps from end to end. India’s auto-rickshaws have a single blade. Now, so does the Nano.
To achieve the drastically lower prices that emerging markets require, companies must be open to rethinking all aspects of the product. The Nano uses not only just one wiper, but also just one side-view mirror, and the seats are not adjustable. This represents a clear departure from the trends in conventional vehicles, and involves questioning the form and necessity of so-called standard features. Making these sorts of radical decisions is a form of innovation. Such choices are answers to questions that too few global companies are asking.
Organizational Agility

Frugal engineering requires that companies be open to organizational innovation, as well. Three areas are particularly important.

1. Cross-functional teams. The Tata Nano was developed by a team of 500 mostly young engineers, significantly smaller than the teams of 800-plus typically employed by Western automakers. In fact, a team for a new platform like the Nano at a U.S. or European car company would likely total more than 1,000. To make sure that the project got the attention it required, Tata created a separate unit, isolated from the rest of the company. In addition to its compact size, the Nano engineering team had another advantage over traditional engineering groups: It worked cross-functionally with other teams to maximize the chances of finding ways to keep costs low. When a legacy automaker like General Motors launches a car, its marketing group might be five times the size of the Nano’s marketing team, which totaled three people.

The computer chip that replaced the compressor in Godrej’s low-cost refrigerator represented such a radical move that it likely would not have made it to the final product had the development group started with the standard operating procedures of the refrigerator industry. The procurement team instead raced to identify a low-cost component supplier while the manufacturing team quickly reengineered the assembly line to handle chips instead of compressors.

Why would that kind of agility be difficult for a Western company? Typically, the more mature an organization, the more rigid the functional silos. There tends to be little coordination between functions without an explicit effort from top management, which must either create a new structure for the team or use brute force to encourage communication. That is happening more often, but it’s still more the exception than the rule.

In mature industries, companies are optimized for their main customers. For emerging markets, a different organizational approach is required, both within and outside the organization.

2. A nontraditional supply chain. When reducing costs, most companies focus on getting better prices from their suppliers. The problem with this approach is that the reductions can go only so far; cut too deep, and the suppliers’ margins are eliminated. Frugal engineering instead treats the suppliers as an extension of the enterprise. Such a lean manufacturing approach is not new, of course. But frugal engineering pushes the concept further, by demanding new levels of cost transparency, and by requiring that suppliers grant genuine authority to their representatives on the core product team.

A frugal development team must look beyond the usual, approved list of suppliers. The targets in frugal engineering projects are often so tight that conventional suppliers are unlikely to be able to meet the requirements for cost, quality, and timeliness of delivery.

At the same time, suppliers step up and become more involved in development projects. Traditionally, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) dictate their requirements to suppliers; the suppliers ask few questions and compete on price. In frugal engineering, the game is different. OEMs and suppliers team up to set cost targets and a cost structure. Rather than focus on individual components, they work together to optimize entire systems. For example, the Nano uses a simple motorcycle-style speedometer and forgoes a tachometer in the instrument cluster, but it includes a digital odometer. The costs saved on one were spent on the other, avoiding an analog odometer and a tachometer that few customers would use. By cooperating on developing the whole system, the supplier and Tata created a more appealing instrument cluster while still meeting the target cost.

Often, a higher-level commitment from suppliers has required a mandate from supplier CEOs. For example, Bosch CEO Bernd Bohr took on the cost-target challenge for the Nano and made sure Bosch came through by adapting a motorcycle starter motor to save weight and by finding a way to trim several ounces from the generator.

3. Top-down support. Nothing is more important to frugal engineering than commitment from the top — and not just from suppliers. The best examples of frugal engineering were championed by company founders. Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata, said, “I will design a car for $2,200. Period.” (See “Too Good to Fail,” by Ann Graham, s+b, Spring 2010.) The same happened at Mahindra & Mahindra, when Anand Mahindra, the managing director, publicly backed the cost-control plans of Pawan Goenka, the company’s automotive chief. Mahindra’s personal support proved essential to keeping costs low. A new automobile platform in the U.S. might cost anywhere from $700 million to $1 billion. Mahindra’s Scorpio SUV was developed at a cost of $150 million. The car may lack the sophistication and status of other makers’ luxury models. But it’s right for its market.

..the red white n blue ultimate dream..

This 7th generation of Corvette will be in the market from 2012 with V8 Engine and 437 bhp..wit sum blondes thrown in as accessories...: ))))

Heidfield joins Pirelli

Mercedes GP Petronas confirm that Nick Heidfeld has been released from his contract as the team's Reserve Driver to take up the position of official test driver for Pirelli.

As Pirelli prepares for its return to Formula One, Nick will join the Italian company for a series of tests beginning in August to assist with their development work on the tyre compounds to be used by the Formula One teams in 2011.

Ross Brawn, Team Principal, Mercedes GP Petronas: "We can confirm that the team is pleased to allow Nick Heidfeld the opportunity to join Pirelli and contribute to their development work for the company's imminent return to Formula One. Nick is an extremely experienced driver and we are confident that his racing knowledge and technical feedback will prove extremely useful to Pirelli and therefore of benefit to the sport as a whole. Nick has been a real asset to Mercedes GP Petronas since joining our team this year and we are pleased to see his career progressing."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "It was clear from the beginning of our cooperation that Mercedes GP Petronas would release Nick from his obligations as soon as a promising opportunity as an active Formula One driver developed. This is now the case and there could be no more experienced and knowledgeable driver in the cockpit to steer the tyre development for next season. We thank Nick for his contribution to our team over the last nine months and wish him well with his new challenge. It would be great to see Nick in a competitive car in next year's Formula One World Championship and I am sure his leading role in the new tyre development, in addition to his skills, puts Nick in a good position for the remaining seats in 2011."

Nick Heidfeld: "First of all I would like to thank Ross Brawn, Norbert Haug and Nick Fry for allowing me the opportunity to become Pirelli's official test driver. The team has always said that they would not stand in my way if such a chance arose and they have kindly allowed me to take up this exciting new role. I would like to thank everyone at Mercedes GP Petronas for the great cooperation that we have had this year. I have greatly enjoyed supporting the team in my position as Reserve Driver and have felt welcome right from the outset. It was impressive to have the opportunity to work with the current World Champions and I wish the team all the best for the remainder of the season and beyond."

proton turbo

Proton is certainly moving up ahead with its new engine development.

According to industry sources, the new engine will be using turbo technology but is developed more for low end torque and fuel consumption.

The main target for the engine is for the Exora, which we was told will only happen next year.

We were told that the Low Pressure Turbo (LPT) system uses a turbine from BorgWarner and pressure starts to kick in at around 1,800rpm. Power should hover around 140hp.

Apart from the LPT system, the new engine will also be using a Continuous Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) system on the intake valves.

Transmission wise, the 6-speed Getrag gearbox is said to be chosen for the engine while a CVT gearbox by ZF will replace the normal torque converter automatic transmission system. Proton realises that it needs more control on the transmission and using Mitsubishi's will not allow them so.

The engine is loosely based from the CAMPRO block but many changes have been done to it (improved water jackets, etc) and that it should deserve a new name.

We think the project's code name, Phoenix, is good enough.

proton vendors financing scheme

ALL Proton vendors can now opt for an Islamic supply chain financing programme from CIMB Group.
The financial services provider signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Proton on the financing programme at the Proton Centre of Excellence in Shah Alam last Tuesday.
A similar MOU was also signed between CIMB Group and Perodua recently.
The objective of the financing programme is to enable vendors to have better cash flow for their operations by closing the working capital gap from the cost of procuring raw materials to the final stage of payments by the automakers.
The Islamic supply chain financing is divided into pre- and post-delivery financing.
Through pre-delivery financing, vendors can obtain financing based on monthly order value to pay for raw materials.
Subsequently, vendors can obtain post-delivery financing upon submission of invoices and documentations to the automakers for acceptance.
“We are proud to be the first financial institution to offer this syariah compliant facility to the manufacturing industry,” said CIMB Group deputy CEO (corporate and investment banking) Datuk Charon Wardini Mokhzani.
Also present at the event were CIMB Group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak and CIMB Islamic Bank CEO Badlisyah Abdul Ghani as well as Proton Holdings Bhd group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, chief financial officer Azhar Othman and director of group procurement Klaus Liske.
Syed Zainal pointed out that the supply chain financing programme would be critical in the company’s aspirations to become a competitive global automaker.
“Vehicle build quality is also heavily reliant on the components supplied by vendors,” said Syed Zainal.

now..these i wd ride to the maximum..

BMW Group Malaysia has introduced four special edition bikes to celebrate the 30th anniversary of BMW Motorrad’s GS models. The “30 Years GS models” are based on the BMW R 1200 GS, R 1200 GS Adventure, F 800 GS and F 650 GS.

Features exclusive to this anniversary edition include Alpine White non-metallic paint with three-colored decals, “30 Years GS” badging, cross-spoke wheels with their spoke rings in black epoxy finish and hand protectors. The eye catching seat is finished in red with a three-dimensional GS mark embossed on its sides. The Adventure model is fitted with a two-tone red and black seat.

Besides those, 5 units of the BMW HP2 Sport Motorsport have been brought in. The Sport Motorsport distinguishes itself from its HP2 Sport predecessor by having its body painted in the BMW Motorsport colours. Further to this, forged aluminium wheels in Lupine Blue at the front and Alpine White at the rear, exclusive special edition green and black start number areas on the seat body, as well as special factory stickers provide further indication.

This sport bike’s flat twin DOHC engine produces 133 hp at 8,750 rpm and 115 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. Racing tech consist of the closely synchronised gearbox with shift assistant, fully adjustable Öhlins sports suspension, Brembo braking system and a 2D dashboard similar to the ones seen in MotoGP.

For the 30 Years GS range, the R 1200 GS is priced at RM119,000 while the R 1200 GS Adventure comes in at RM125,500. Long haul tourer F 800 GS goes for RM88,000 while the smaller F 650 GS is priced at RM75,500. The HP2 Sport Motorsport will cost you RM163,888.

VWs in Malaysia after all..,

Volkswagen has shown that its plans to assemble cars in Malaysia need not involve Proton or the national carmaker’s Tanjung Malim plant by inking a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DRB-HICOM “to collaborate on the assembly and manufacturing of VW vehicles in Malaysia”.

The MoU was signed at Volkswagen Centre Singapore by DRB’s group MD Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil and Volkswagen’s senior vice president, group manufacturing overseas, Dr Christof Spathelf and its head of sales for China and Asean, Soh Wei Ming.

“This MoU is the culmination of intense discussions and both parties anticipate the production of the CKD models in Malaysia,” Khamil said. He added that the pact also included strengthening Volkswagen’s existing sales activities and market presence in the country. Locally assembled VWs will roll out from DRB’s Pekan plant in Pahang.

The group will also look at engaging the full participation of its component manufacturing companies, in a move to support Volkswagen’s localisation programme, in line with the National Automotive Policy, the DRB boss added.

VW to CKD three models, roll out by first quarter of 2011


Here’s more news on the Volkswagen-DRB-Hicom local assembly project. There has been lots of guessing and counter guessing in our previous post revealing the deal, but we now know that there will be THREE models assembled at DRB’s Pekan plant. Bernama also quotes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as saying that the CKD VWs will roll out by the end of the first quarter next year (Q1, 2011).

“I’ve always been monitoring the developments involving DRB-Hicom and during my recent vacation, I took the opportunity to meet the Volkswagen officials and ask them whether they were till keen to establish cooperation with DRB-Hicom,” Najib told DRB-Hicom management and staff at a Ramadan gathering over the weekend.

“Actually, they were waiting for the indication from me whether they could sign the agreement with DRB-Hicom or not,” added our PM, who is also Member of Parliament for Pekan.

Najib revealed that Volkswagen requested for incentives from the Government to make its Malaysian operations the export base for the ASEAN region. “This needs to be studied and approved by the government,” he said.

..Futures So Bright We Gotta Wear Shades-Proton

THE first time we knew Proton was in safe hands was when we attended the company's Quality Campaign in 2006, a few months after Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir was appointed as the Group Managing Director for the company.
For the first time, we could see how the factory workers were so engrossed in the speech of their MD. And for the first time too, we heard Syed Zainal giving a speech. So touching were his words, even we strived to work hard too.
Fast forward to 2010 and Proton has changed a lot under his supervision. Obviously, his people skill is complemented by his engineering know-how and also his experience working with Perodua, being trained by the Japanese.
Cars, Bikes & Trucks sat down with him last Monday in an exclusive meeting and Syed Zainal was surprisingly very relaxed in discussing some of the development that the company is working on.

Hybrid technology

Syed Zainal confirmed that Proton is hot on the heels of this technology.
"This is not new, we have announced this a few years ago and currently, we are still open to any hybrid technologies," he said.
Officially, Lotus is Proton's working partner in this project but Proton is also having talks with other OEMs like Bosh. Battery partners too are being looked into, and the list covers LG and Hitachi. With Lotus, Proton is trying out hybrid technology from Frazer-Nash Research (FNR).
When quizzed about FNR's unproven technology, Syed Zainal replied that they have thought of adapting a proven technology from an existing car model, but he explained that not many want to provide the technology and platform easily, especially when Proton will be their competitor.
Syed Zainal, however, is happy with the current technologies Proton is using.
"In fact, one of the four running prototypes is giving better fuel mileage than the Prius," he said.
Of course there are still other factors to cover (safety, practicality, driver interface, battery price) and that figure might not make it to the production car, but at least we are heading towards the right direction," he said.
The latest news is that Proton will soon release 50 to 150 units of hybrid vehicles to various government ministries around the Putrajaya and Cyberjaya area as part of its research project. These cars will have a satellite uplink and will provide Proton with live data, perfect to speed up its R&D process.
"We target our hybrid car will be launched earliest next year," Syed Zainal concluded.

Green technology incentives

Syed Zainal believes that in order to spur the market growth in hybrid or electric vehicles, some incentives should be given by the government.
"Nobody will want to pay extra, so incentives should be placed initially to kick off the market," he said.
He pointed out that for hybrids, excise duties could perhaps be reduced as well as incentives either in cash or other forms be given for purchasers to go green.
"There are many ways to do this, like congestion tax or even insurance. People need to be given something in return for buying the hybrids or electric cars," he suggested.

New engine development

According to Syed Zainal, this is another important issue as its current Campro engine is no longer valid after 2013.
"Emission control will be its biggest problem and we will need a new family engine to last for another 10 years or so," he said.
He explained that Proton's new CFE (Campro Fuel Efficient) engine will be out by early next year.
"This new engine will be offered in our high-end models like the Exora, the current Persona and its replacement and may be in the Satria Neo too," he said.
According to him, the CFE engine boasts a turbocharging unit, coupled to a new IAFM plus and a direct injection unit.
"Initially we wanted a 2-litre engine but the trend now is downsizing the capacity. The Campro CFE proves that it is doable - we have increased power and fuel economy while maintaining the engine capacity," he said.
Syed Zainal also confirmed that Proton will soon cease using Mitsubishi's gearboxes.
"We will use Getrag for manual transmission and a CVT system by Punch Motive (formerly the Belgian arm for ZF)," he said.
There was another surprise from Syed Zainal when he announced that Proton will decide this year whether to come out with their own family of new engines, or to work together with their new global partner.
"The new engines will be ready for production by 2014," he said.

New global partner

With Volkswagen out of the picture, Proton is free to roam and find a new and perhaps better partner.
Syed Zainal, however, refused to delve deeper, but confirmed that Proton is in serious discussions with an European player, an emerging brand.
"It seems that this company needs a strong foothold in Asean and we can provide that. They are also able to help us in the European market, plus may be in the American market too," he said.
The proposed partnership is expected to be involved in platform sharing, especially with the Emas Concept car.
"They are interested in the Emas because they can come out with their own hybrid mini car based on the same platform. Our plan is to extract three models from the same Emas platform, one each for Proton, Lotus and this new partner," he divulged.
Proton is also hoping to get some technical collaboration with this new partner, especially on its high-end diesel engines and the latest petrol engines using electro-hydraulic valve actuators.

Going global

Proton has tried many times to go global but the result can be politely considered as unsatisfactory.
Syed Zainal has made known that Proton will have five strong key markets globally.
"We have five key markets - Malaysia, Asean, China, Iran and India. Our project in Iran is 80 per cent complete while our office in India will soon be up and running," he said.
"Everything will be assembled locally there. CKD market is the only way to go but the trick will be to know the degree of localisation that we need to do to make it cost effective and viable."

New Perdana and SUV

Syed Zainal confirmed that the government ministries will soon be getting a new Perdana to replace the current model.
"This is a niche market and it does not justify us spending hundreds of millions to develop one," leaked Syed Zainal.
He revealed that Proton will import one model from Japan, rebadge it into a Proton and make it available only to government ministries.
It is understood that the new Perdana will sport two engine capacities - 2-litre and 2.4-litre models. It is based on a Japanese D-segment car which is also sold in Australia.
There is also high probability that the car will be made available to the domestic market if there is strong demand.
Our source also informed us that if Proton does not come up with a replacement soon enough, DRB-Hicom will be glad to offer the Honda vehicles as the government official cars, opening the floodgates to other brands as well in the future.
As for the SUV, Syed Zainal said this is where Proton will have to be creative to survive.
"There is no point for us to spend money on developing one as the market will not be too big to support it. Fortunately, Youngman of China has appointed us to develop a small SUV for them based on our current platform and engine," he said.
"We saw the outcome and we ourselves got excited. It is highly possible that we would buy the design from Youngman and use it for our own SUV. After all, it is our platform and our engine while Youngman has paid for its development."
Syed Zainal said the SUV will be the size of the Nissan Qashqai/Dualis or Peugeot 3008, basically a soft roader to run around town rather than the jungle.
"We have identified that there is market for the this SUV in the Middle East," he added.
In the near future, however, Proton will also launch its new sedan which it is collaborating with Mitsubishi.
"I think by now, everybody knows which model we are talking about," he grinned.

Consolidation of local companies

A month ago, Malaysia was struck by the idea of consolidating the local automotive industry, a move which Syed Zainal believes will benefit the whole nation.
He believes that MITI, the agency tasked with looking in this matter, is moving ahead with the planning.
"It's a question of better now than never," he quipped.
Syed Zainal explained that the two brands will remain in existence, but the first focus should be given to component sharing to acquire chear parts cheaper. Later on, it can even go to product or platform sharing,
"It is being done by many other global players, why not here in Malaysia?" he asked.
Proton and Perodua can help fill up each other's void in the market segment and perhaps a holding company can be created to even export these cars to foreign markets.
"Of course only MITI or the government can do this. They have done it with financial institutions by limiting the number of banks and it was a success. To liberalise the market, consolidation can provide a stronger platform for the nation," he said.

Having foreigners in the company

We have received questions as to why Proton is employing foreigners. Are the locals not good enough?
Syed Zainal said Proton has to be practical.
"We need people who are experienced in export. No local company has ever exported huge number of vehicles, hence we took in experienced foreigners on contract basis to train our locals. The same goes to our quality department too. These are all proven people and hiring them is saving us a lot of money," he said.

Handling politicians

An interesting question, but the truth is, handling politicians is a much needed skill as the head of Proton.
"Proton advocates transparency and consistency. When we need to terminate vendors, we explain in a transparent manner the quality that each vendor needs to surpass. This benchmarking is also consistent," he said.
He said the company has an annual session with the backbenchers, to explain to them that certain measures must be taken to help Proton move forward.
"Praise to God, they understand the need and that is how we get along," he said.

Lotus and Proton

Syed Zainal is adamant that Lotus should be kept under Proton.
"We are using the brand to penetrate into a few markets, like China and soon, India," he blurted out in defence.
He told us to be patient and wait for the coming Paris Motor Show.
"Lotus will have new products, and they will be revealed in the motor show," he revealed.
Syed Zainal also spilled out that Toyota will soon make an announcement that the Japanese company will be having more technical collaboration with Lotus in the near future, a very important milestone indeed for the English firm.
"We are also thinking of combining the engineering companies together, which means Proton's engineering firm and the Lotus engineering company will be merged. This will give the new company a stronger portfolio," he said.
The biggest news to us is that Syed Zainal toyed around with the idea of having a sub-brand under Lotus.
"There is a gap between Proton and Lotus, and a new sub-brand can certainly benefit both companies. Lotus can work on our future production models and have a more pedestrian offerings to the market," he pointed out.

Lastly, we believe that Syed Zainal and his team have the proper ideas to ensure that the brand will still be viable in the future.
Accepting that the market needs to be liberated is a good sign, and we hope the government will not be too slow in allowing Proton to really compete in the free world.

The 40 sermons of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh..

Sermons of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)



Sermon One: Illusions and Goodness

Anas said the Prophet addressed us, and said:

O people! It seems as if we are exempted from death. And as if truth in this life is incumbent upon other than us. And as if those dead people whom we escort to their final resting are travellers who will return to us very soon.

We lay them in their tombs and devour their inheritance as if we were immortal after them.

We forget all exhortation, and we feel secure from every strife.

All goodness to the person who is minding his own faults and keeping away from others' faults.

All goodness to the person who spends wealth which he acquired legally, and mixes with learned and wise men, and mixes with the poor and the down-trodden.

All goodness to the humble and the high-mannered and the good-hearted and the one who keeps his evil deeds away from people.

All goodness to the person who spends his extra wealth and withholds his extra talk and is satisfied with the Sunnah and not attracted by heritical innovation.


Sermon Two: Your Companion in the Grave

Qais ibn 'Asim said: I came to the Prophet with a delegation of Bani Tamim. He said to me, 'Bathe with water and leaves of the lotus tree.' I did what he ordered me and returned to him, and I said, 'Admonish us with an admonition from which we can benefit.' He said:

O Qais! Indeed, there is humiliation with celebrity.
And there is death with life.
And there is Hereafter with this worldly life.
And for everything there is reckoning.
And there is a guardian over everything.
And there is a reward for every good deed.
And there is a punishment for every bad deed.
And there is an end for each life.

Qais! You must have a companion which will be buried with you while it is alive, and you will be buried with it while you are dead. If it is an honorable one it will honor you and stick to you, and if it is a base one it will shame you and hand you over; then it will not be resurrected except with you, and you will not be resurrected except with it, and you will not be asked except about it. Therefore, make it good and do not relax except with it. And if it is evil, stay away from it. It is not other than your deed.

Note: The leaves of the lotus tree were used for cleansing like soap.


Sermon Three: Be Ready

Abu Darda said that the Messenger of Allah addressed us on a Friday saying:

O people! Repent before you die. And embark upon good deeds before you become occupied. And connect what is between you and your Lord by remembering Him all the time and, indeed, you will be happy. Give much sadaqah (charity) so you will be endowed by Allah. ANd bid good to others so you protect yourselves, and forbid evil unto others so you will be victorious.

O people! The smartest among you is the one who remembers death the most, and the wisest among you is the one who is best ready for it.

Indeed, among the signs of wisdom are shunning the falsehood of this life, turning toward eternal life, being fully equipped to live in the grave, and being ready for the resurrection.


Sermon Four: Guideposts

Ibn 'Abbas reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in a sermon:

O people! You have guideposts, so follow your guideposts. And you have an end, so turn toward that end. Indeed, a believer is living between two worries; worry about a passed period of life for which he doesn't know how Allah will treat him, and what is left of his life wherein he doesn't know what Allah has decreed for him. So the 'Abd (servant of Allah) must control himself for his own sake, and must derive benefit from his world for his Hereafter, and from his youth for his old age, and from his life for his death.

By Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! There will be no second chance after death, and there is no other abode after the worldly abode except Paradise or Hell.


Sermon Five: Turbulent Life and Qur'anic Intercession

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah addressed us and he said:

"O people! Indeed, there is no good in life except for a speaking scholar and a comprehending listener.

"O people! You are living in a Hudnah, and you move very fast. You are aware of the night and the day, how they wear out the new, and make close every far away thing, and bring forth every promised thing."

Al-Miqdad said, "Messenger of Allah! What is Hudnah?"

He said: "A turbulent life. If matters get mixed up for you like the darkness of the night, you should resort to the Qur'an. It is indeed an intercessor. Its intercession is accepted, and it is a believed witness. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise, whoever puts it behind him, it will drive him to Hell. Indeed, it is the clearest guide to the best path. Whoever speaks through it is truthful, and whoever practices its commands will be rewarded, and whoever judges by it will be just."


Sermon Six: The Qualities of Faith

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

The Iman (faith) of any 'Abd (servant of Allah) will not be complete until he acquires five qualities:

1. Trust in Allah
2. Entrustment to Allah
3. Submission to Allah's orders
4. Acceptance of Allah's decrees
5. Perseverance in the face of Allah's trial

Moreover, whoever loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of Allah, gives for the sake of Allah and withholds for the sake of Allah, that person's faith is complete.


Sermon Seven: The Muslim and the Believer

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in his sermon:

O people! The 'Abd (servant of Allah) will not be considered a Muslim unless people are safe from his hand and his tongue.

And he will not attain the status of a believer unless his neighbor is secure from his evil deeds.

And he will not be considered Muttaqi (warding off evil) until he avoids the unobjectionable out of fear of committing the objectionable.

O people! Whoever fears the night attack keeps moving all night, and whoever moves all night arrives safely to his destination. You will know the result of your deeds after you die.

O people! The believer's intention is better than his actions. The sinful's intention is worse than his actions.


Sermon Eight: Cause and Effect

Ibn 'Abbas said the Prophet said:

When any one dedicates himself to Allah, Allah takes care of all his needs in this life. And he who dedicates himself to the worldly life, Allah hands him to it.

For anyone who tries to commit an act through disobedience to Allah, it will be farther away from him than he hoped, and it would be closer to him if he tried through piety.

And whoever seeks the praise of people through disobedience to Allah, all those who praised him will turn and dispraise him.

And whoever pleases people through the displeasure of Allah, He will put them under their scorn.

And whoever pleases Allah through the displeasure of people, Allah will protect him from their evil.

And whoever improves his relationship with Allah, Allah will improve his relationship with people.

And whoever improves his mind, Allah will improve his open actions.

And whoever works for his heavenly life, Allah takes care of his worldly life.


Sermon Nine: The Harvest of the Human Tongue

Ibn 'Umar said the Prophet said:

"O people! Indeed, you will die and you will go to Allah. May Allah have mercy on an 'Abd (servant of Allah) who talked and earned goodness, or kept quiet and stayed safe.

"Indeed, the tongue controls the person more than anything else.

"Surely, all the human's talk is against him except the remembrance of Allah, or bidding good, or forbidding evil, or making peace between the believers is for him."

Mu'adh said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will we be judged by what we say?"

He said: "Is there anything which throws people into Hell except the harvest of their tongues? He who wants to be safe, he should control what his tongue says, and guard his heart, and do good deeds and limit his hopes."

A few days later, the following verse was revealed:

"There is no good in much of their secret conferences save (in) him who enjoins sadaqah (almsgiving) or kindness or peace-making among the people. Whoso does that, seeking the good pleasure of Allah, We shall bestow on him a vast reward." (an-Nisa' 4:114)


Sermon Ten: The Believer's Vehicle

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said the Messenger of Allah said:

Do not curse the worldly life! It is indeed a good vehicle for the believer through which he can do good deeds, and through it he will be safe from evil.

If the 'Abd (servant of Allah) says, 'God damn this life,' life will say, 'May God damn the one of us who is more disobedient to his Lord.'


Sermon Eleven: Remembrance of Death

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said:

You should remem ber death very often. Indeed, if you remember it while you are in distress, it will make it easy for you and you will accept it, so you will be rewarded by Allah.

And if you remember death while you are wealthy, it will make you dislike your wealth and you will give it away, so you will be rewarded by Allah.

Death cuts hopes short, and the passing of nights brings death near.

A human being is between two days, one day that has already passed in which his deeds are recorded and sealed, and a day that has not come yet, and maybe he will not reach it.

The 'Abd (servant of Allah), when he dies and is laid down in his grave, will see the reward of what he committed in his life, and how little his wealth which he left behind will help him. Maybe he accumulated it illegally or swindled people of their rights.


Sermon Twelve: Everything is Decreed

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said the Messenger of Allah said:

O people! Indeed, livelihood has been decreed and no human will exceed what had been decreed for him; therefore, seek your livelihood easily.

And the span of life is limited, no one can exceed what had been decreed for him; therefore, rush without delay to do good deeds before life is over.

All deeds are computed, none will be forgotten, neither small nor big; therefore, commit many good deeds.

O people! Indeed, there is ease in moderation, and there is sufficiency in economization, and there is comfort in abstinence.

For every deed there is a reward.

Everything which is coming will be here very soon.


Sermon Thirteen: Taken by Surprise

Anas ibn Malik said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in some of his sermons and admonitions:

O people! Don't you see those who are taken by surprise and are disturbed while most secure, those who lived in error and followed their lusts, until the messengers of their Lord came to them [i.e. until they died]. So they could not accomplish what (in their life) they hoped for, nor could they return to what they lost. Rather they came to what they committed and they regretted what they left behind. However, regret did not help them since every thing had been decreed. May Allah bestow His mercy on a person who committed good deeds, spent his wealth moderately, spoke the truth, controlled his desires and did not let them control him, and disobeyed the urges of his false self so he did not perish.


Sermon Fourteen: Guidance

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

O people! Do not offer wisdom to those who do not value it, otherwise you abuse it; rather offer it to those who deserve it, else you do them injustice.

Do not punish ill-doing persons; otherwise, you lose your virtue.

Do not behave hypocritically; otherwise, your deeds will come to nothing.

Do not be misers, being misers diminishes your goodness.

O people! Matters are three; a matter which its guidance is clear, you should follow; and a matter whose misguidance is apparent, you should avoid; and a matter which is ambiguous, this matter you should return to Allah, the Exalted.

O people! Let me inform you of two matters simple but their reward is great. Never is Allah met with two matters like them; they are, silence and good manner.


Sermon Fifteen: The Best and the Wisest

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said the Messenger of Allah delivered a sermon which made people cry and feel concerned. I remember the following portion from it:

O people! The best person is an exalted person who humbles himself and shuns worldly pleasure while he is wealthy and submits to justice while he is powerful and perseveres when he is able to fight back.

And the best among people is an 'Abd (servant of Allah) who acquires sufficient means for living in this world, and shrinks from indecency, and supplies himself with provision for an (eternal) trip, and prepares himself for moving.

Indeed, the wisest among people in an 'Abd who knows his Lord and obeys Him and knows his enemy (Satan) and disobeys him, and knows his eternal abode and prepares it and knows the closeness of his journey and he prepares his provision for it. Indeed, the best provision is that accompanied with Taqwa (piety), and the best action is that preceded by Niyyah (good intention). The person who has the highest status with Allah is the one who fears Him the most.


Sermon Sixteen: Fighting Uncertainty, Lust and Anger

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

People will be undermined on the Day of Judgment by one of three things:

1. Either by uncertainty in the religion to which they committed their lives,
2. Or by a lust which they chose,
3. Or by an anger for personal pride.

If you meet uncertainty, clear it with certainty, and if lust faces you, wipe it with abstinence, and if you are faced with anger, protect yourselves from it with forgiveness.

On the Day of Judgment a herald will call, any one who has a reward from Allah let him stand up! Those who forgave others, stand up.

Don't you see the saying of Allah, the Exalted: "Whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah." (ash-Shura 42:40)


Sermon Seventeen: Sufficiency and Abundance

'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud said the Messenger of Allah said:

Allah (Glorified and High) says, 'O son of Adam! You are given your sustenance every day, none the less you are sad. And every day your life gets shorter, nonetheless you are happy.

You have what suffices you, but you seek what makes you rebellious.

The little does not content you, and the abundance does not satisfy you.

Verily, if you are secure in your home, and your body is healthy, and you have food enough for one day, it is as if you gained the whole world.


Sermon Eighteen: The Price of Forgiveness

Abu Hurairah said: One day while the Prophet was sitting around, he started laughing. He was asked, 'What makes you laugh, O Messenger of Allah?' He said:

Two men of my Ummah knelt down in front of my Lord, the Exalted, and one of them said, 'My Lord! Restore for me my rights from my brother.'

Allah Ta'ala said, 'Give your brother back his rights.'

He said, 'O Lord! Nothing is left of my good deeds.'

The complainer, 'Lord! Let him carry some of my sins.'

At that moment, the Prophet's eyes overflowed with tears, then he said, 'Indeed, that day is an awesome day where people need their sins to be carried for them.'

Then he said: Allah Ta'ala said to the complainer, 'Raise your head up and look at the gardens!'

And he raised his head up, and saw what overwhelmed him of goods and grace, and he said, 'Lord! For whom is all this?'

The Lord, 'For whoever pays Me its price.'

The complainer, 'Lord! Who has that (price)?'

The Lord, 'You.'

The complainer, 'With what?'

The Lord, 'With the forgiveness of your brother.'

The complainer, 'Lord! I forgive him.'

The Lord, 'Hold the hand of your brother and enter Paradise both of you.'

Then, the Prophet recited: 'Keep your duty to Allah, and adjust the matter of your difference.'


Sermon Nineteen: Fear and Security

Anas ibn Malik said the Messenger of Allah was asked, 'Who are those Awliya' (patrons) of Allah, those who will have no fear or grief?' The Messenger of Allah said:

They are those who look into the essence of worldly life while others look onto its surface.

And they worry about the delayed reward of this life, while others worry about its immediate reward.

And they kill of it what they fear will kill them.

And forsake of it what they know will forsake them.

Whenever any worldly matter jumps in their way they reject it. They abase any high rank worldly position which tries to dupe them.

Life to them is worn out but they do not renew it.

Their houses crumble and they do not reconstruct them. Love for their houses dies in their hearts but they do not revive it, rather they demolish it and build their Hereafter with it. They sell it and buy with it what will last for them.

They look at the people of this world falling down and they learn their lesson. Therefore, they do not find any security below for what they hoped for, nor a fear below for what they are worried about.


Sermon Twenty: The Best Provision

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! Aren't you the successors of past generations, and the remnant of preceding peoples?

They were wealthier and stronger than you. They were chased away from this world when they were most relaxed in it. And it betrayed them when they trusted it the most. The might of their tribe did not help them, nor a ransom was accepted from them. Therefore, prepare a provision for yourselves before you will be taken by surprise while you are not ready (for journeying). Then, no regret will help after the pen became dry (i.e. your life is ended and your fate is sealed).


Sermon Twenty-One: Anticipation

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said the Messenger of Allah said to me:

Be in this world as a stranger or a wayfarer and count yourself among the dead. If you wake up in the morning, don't think of the evening, and if you stay alive to the evening, don't think of the morning.

Save from your health to anticipate your sickness. And from your youth to your old age. And from your leisure to your occupation. And from your life to your death. And from your wealth to your poverty. Indeed! You do not know what you will be called in the future. (i.e. you do not know if you will be called righteous or evil, believer or unbeliever, in the Hereafter.)


Sermon Twenty-Two: Reckoning

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in one of his sermons:

O people! Don't let your worldly life distract you from your life Hereafter. And do not prefer your desires over the obedience of your Lord. And do not make your oaths a medium to your sins. And reckon yourselves before you will be reckoned (on the Day of Judgment). And pave the road for it before you are punished. And prepare your provision before you are removed from this world.

Indeed! (The Day of Judgment) is a stand of justice and a paying of dues and an inquiry of a duty.

He who warns others exonerates himself from the blame of not warning.


Sermon Twenty-Three: The Here and the Hereafter

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: I heard the Messenger of Allah when he left 'Uhud while the people surrounded him and he was leaning on Talhah, saying:

O people! Embark on what you are charged with for the improvement of your Hereafter, and turn your backs to what you are guaranteed in your worldly matters. Do not use limbs that are nourished with His (Allah's) Grace to expose yourselves to His anger by disobeying Him. Get busy with seeking His Forgiveness. Concentrate your endeavor on getting closer to Him by obeying Him.

Indeed, he who starts his life with his portion of this world, his portion of the Hereafter will escape him and he will not seek whatever he desires of it (the Hereafter). And he who starts his life with his portion of the Hereafter, his portion of the world will accrue to him and he will attain whatever he desires of the Hereafter.


Sermon Twenty-Four: Beware of Excess

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

Beware of the excess of food; indeed, the excess of food hardens the heart, and slows the limbs from obedience to Allah, and deafens the mind from hearing the admonition.

Beware of the excess of looking; indeed, it sows lust in the heart and creates foolishness.

Beware of being greedy because greed fills the hearts with strong avidity and seals the heart with the seal of the love of this world, and it is the key for bad deeds and the cause for foiling good deeds.


Sermon Twenty-Five: Truth and Falsehood

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! Truly, it is goodness which is to be hoped for, and evil which should be abandoned, and a known falsehood which is to be avoided, and an ascertained truth which is to be sought, and a very close Hereafter which is to be worked for, and a worldly life which is almost over; therefore, it is to be shunned.


Sermon Twenty-Six: Adornment

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

Adorn yourselves with (Allah's) obedience, and put on the veil of the fear (of Allah). And make your Hereafter for yourselves, and strive for your final residence.

You should know that very soon you will depart (from this world) and you will end with Allah. Nothing will help you there except a good deed which you have sent ahead, or a good reward which you already gained.

Indeed, you will arrive at what you sent ahead of you, and you will be rewarded according to what you committed. Therefore, do not let the low adornments of this world deprive you of the high ranks in Paradise.

Faster than you expect, the veil and doubt will be removed (i.e. you will die) and each person will find his final abode.


Sermon Twenty-Seven: Halting and Anticipating

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said in one of his sermons:

O people! Do not be like the one who was deceived by this life and dazzled by hope, and misled by false hope, who settled in a fleeting abode which soon will be removed. Indeed, what is left of your world compared to what already has passed of its existence is like the rest of a traveler or the milking of a camel. Therefore, for what are you halting? and what are you anticipating? It is like seeing it before me, by Allah! that the delusion you are in will never be. Then be ready for the quickly coming move and prepare your provision for the trip. You should know that every human being will come to what he sent before him and will be sorry for what he left behind.


Sermon Twenty-Eight: The Field of Action

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! Hope is extended, death is advancing and the return (to the Lord) is the field of action. He who is happy with what he gained is a winner, and he who is distressed about what he missed is regretful.

O people! Indeed, greed is a poverty, renunciation is wealth, contentment is comfort, seclusion is a form of worship, work is a treasure, and the worldly life is a mine.

By Allah! It will not please me to have what has passed of your world for the fringes of my cloak: and what is left of it (this world) similar to what had passed exactly like the similarity of water to water. All will be exhausted very soon, so hurry (in doing good) while you still have time and you have stamina, before you lose your last breath. Then no remorse will help you.


Sermon Twenty-Nine: Three Categories of the Ummah

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

My Ummah will be of three categories in this world:

1. The first will have no desire in hoarding wealth and treasuring it. They do not work for owning and monopolizing it. Their satisfaction of this world is with what allays their hunger and covers their bodies. Their wealth in this world is what suffices them to reach the Hereafter. To those there shall come no fear upon them neither shall they grieve.

2. The second category loves earning money through the most lawful means and spending it in the best manner. They help the needy. Indeed, it is easier for this kind of person to their blood relatives and do favor to their brethren and support starving than to earn a dirham unlawfully or to spend it where it should not be spent, or to withhold it from its rightful owner, or to treasure it until he dies. Those if they are audited will be punished; however, if they are forgiven they will be safe.

3. The third category loves hoarding money lawfully and unlawfully and keeping away from where lawfully it should be spent. If they spend it, they spend extravagantly and hastily, and if they hold it, they hold it out of stinginess and monopoly. Those are the ones on whose hearts the worldly life holds the reins until it leads them to the Fire through their sins.


Sermon Thirty: Refreshment and Pleasure

Anas ibn Malik said the Messenger of Allah said:

Indeed, it is a weakness of faith to please people by displeasing Allah, and to praise them for Allah's bounty, and to dispraise them for what Allah did not bestow on you.

Indeed, sustenance is not attained through the greed of a greedy, and it is not prevented through the aversion of the averse.

Allah, may His name be blessed, by His wisdom made the refreshment and the pleasure emanate (of the soul) from contentment and faith, and He made worry and sadness emanate from doubt and anger.

Indeed, if you leave anything for the sake of Allah, Allah will give you better than it: and if you do anything for the sake of Allah, Allah will reward you for it. Therefore, direct your effort and your work to the Hereafter in which the reward of the forgiven will never be exhausted, and the punishment of the condemned will never end.


Sermon Thirty-One: Seeking Sustenance

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said the Messenger of Allah said:

I told you everything which moves you away from Fire, and I guided you to everything which brings you closer to Paradise.

The Holy Spirit inspired me to say that no person dies until his sustenance is completed; therefore, take it easy in earning your sustenance. Don't let the slowness of your sustenance urge you to seek the bounty of Allah by His disobedience, because Allah's bounty is gained through obedience to Him. Every human being has his sustenance which undoubtedly will come to him, and whoever is pleased with it, it will be blessed for him and it will suffice him, and for whoever is unhappy with it, it will not be blessed for him and it will not suffice him. Indeed, sustenance seeks a man as his fate (death) seeks him.


Sermon Thirty-Two: The Happy and the Unhappy

Mu'awiyah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in a sermon of one of the feasts:

O people! Indeed, worldly life is an abode of tribulation and a place of worry and suffering. The minds of the happy are removed from it and it is forcefully pulled away from the hands of the unhappy. Therefore, the happiest people are those who shun it, and the most unhappy people are those who desire it. Indeed, it misleads those who seek its advice, and leads astray those who obey it, and unfaithful to those who surrender to it.

The successful one is the one who turns his back on it, and the doomed is the one who plunges into it.

Goodness is for an 'Abd (servant of Allah) who fears his Lord in this life, exhorts his soul, sends forth his repentance and restrains his lust before this worldly life ejects him into the Hereafter. Then he turns within the gray, uninhabited, dark earth where he cannot add any good deed or remove any evil deed.

Then he will be resurrected and will be sent either to an eternal pleasure of Paradise or to a Fire which is doom inexhaustible.


Sermon Thirty-Three: Roll Up Your Sleeves

Anas ibn Malik said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O Muslims! Roll your sleeves up, indeed, the matter is very serious. And get ready because the departure (from this world) is very close. Take along provisions, the journeying is very far. Lighten your loads because there is an insurmountable obstacle while only people with a light load can cross. Indeed, before the Hour (the Day of Judgment) there are very hard affairs, great horrors, and difficult times in which the oppressors will rule. And the godless will be leaders, and those who bid good will be suppressed, and those who forbid evil will be treated unjustly. So prepare for all of this the faith in Allah and resort to good deeds and force yourselves on it and if you persevere the hardship you will wind up with the eternal joy.


Sermon Thirty-Four: Relaxing the Heart and the Body

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah admonishing a man:

Desire what Allah has and Allah will love you, and renounce what people have and people will love you. He who renounces this worldly life relaxes his heart and his body in this world and in the Hereafter.

Some people who have good deeds as great as the mountains will come on the Day of Resurrection and nevertheless they will be ordered to be thrown into the Fire.

Someone said, 'O Messenger of Allah! did they perform their prayers regularly?'

The Messenger of Allah said: They used to pray, fast and worship Allah during a portion of the night, but when any temptation of this life appeared to them they jumped at it.


Sermon Thirty-Five: An Abode of Absurdity

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! This world is an abode of absurdity, not an abode of straightness, and an abode of distress, not an abode of joy. Whoever knows it will not be jovial for affluence nor distressed for misery.

Verily, Allah created the world as an abode of affliction and the Hereafter is an abode of success. He made the affliction of this world a cause for the reward of the Hereafter, and the reward of the Hereafter a compensation for the affliction of this world. So He takes in order to give and He tries in order to reward.

This world passes very quickly and turns unexpectedly. Therefore, beware of the sweetness of its suckling for the bitterness of its weaning, and abandon its present joy because of its future distaste.

Do not strive to construct a home whose destruction Allah has decreed. And do not befriend it while Allah wanted you to stay away from it. That causes you to be exposed to His wrath, worthy of His punishment.


Sermon Thirty-Six: Owning What is Borrowed

Anas ibn Malik said the Messenger of Allah said:

O people! Fulfill your duties to Allah sincerely and truthfully and strive hard to please Him. Be certain of the end of this world and the eternity of the Hereafter. Work, for after death soon you will find that it is as if this life never existed and the Hereafter is always there.

O people! Every one in this world is a guest and what he owns is borrowed. The guest will leave and the borrowed will be returned.

Indeed, this world is a ready commodity, the godly and the ungodly can eat from it. The Hereafter is a true promise, a Just King rules in it.

May Allah have mercy on a person who takes care of himself and prepares for his grave while he is alive and free to move and act before his appointed time is over and his action stops.


Sermon Thirty-Seven: A Permanent Dominion

Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said the Messenger of Allah said to a man while he was advising him:

Minimize your desires so poverty will be easy for you and minimize your sins and send forth your wealth ahead of you so that you will be happy to follow it. Be satisfied with what you earn so reckoning (on the Day of Judgment) will be easy to you. Do not be preoccupied with what is guaranteed for you so that you are distracted from what is made incumbent upon you. What is decreed for you will never escape you and you will never catch up with what is denied from you. Therefore, do not strive for what will be exhausted, rather work for a dominion which will never end in a permanent abode.


Sermon Thirty-Eight: The Seeker and the Sought

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

Whenever the love of this world dwells in the heart of an 'Abd (servant of Allah), three things stick in his heart; a worry whose toil never ends, endless poverty, and a hope which will never be materialized.

Indeed, this world and the Hereafter are seekers and sought. The seeker of the Hereafter is sought by this life until his living is completed. And the seeker of this world is sought by the Hereafter until death grabs him by the neck.

Indeed, the happy person is the one who chooses eternity, whose is lasting oer perishable life, whose toil never ends. The person who sent forth to his destination from what he has now in his hands before he leaves it to those who will be happy to spends it while he labored very hard to accumulate it and save it.


Sermon Thirty-Nine: The Children of This World and the Children of the Hereafter

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

Here is the world which has turned its back and moved away and the Hereafter clearly moving closer.

And you are in a working day which has no reckoning... soon enough you will be in a reckoning day which has no work.

Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, gives the material of this world to whom He loves and to whom he hates; however, He does not give the Hereafter except to those He loves.

Verily, this world has children and the Hereafter has children. You should be the children of the Hereafter and not among the children of this world.

The worst I fear for you is pursuing desire and extended hopes. Pursuing desire swerves your hearts away from the truth, and long hope turns your endeavor toward this world. With these two desires no one derives any good in this world or in the Hereafter.


Sermon Forty: Warning!

Anas said the Prophet said:

There is no home except that the angel of death stands at its door five times every day. And if he finds a person whose sustenance is exhausted and whose time is over, he casts upon him mortal throes whose torments envelop him and whose agony engulfs him. Then some of the women of his household uncover their hair, some beat their faces, some weep, and some scream with agony.

Seeing all that, the angel of death (on him be peace) will say, 'Woe to you! Why are you so frightened? and why are you so sad? By Allah! I did not deprive anyone of you of his sustenance, and did not expedite his assigned time, and I did not come to him until I was ordered to come, and I did not seize his soul until I asked permission, and I shall return again and again until I leave none of you behind.'

[The Prophet said:] By Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! If they see his place and hear his words they will forget their dead and weep for themselves. When the dead is carried on his bier, his soul hovers over it while calling very loud, 'O my family! O my children! Don't let life fool you as it fooled me, and don't let it deceive you as it deceived me. I accumulated wealth lawfully and unlawfully, then I left it behind to others. They are enjoying it and I am accountable for it. Beware of what has happened to me!'

The Last Sermon of Prophet Muhammad pbuh..Khutbah Terakhir Rasullullah SAW

"Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds."

This sermon was delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah 10 A.H. in the 'Uranah valley of Mount Arafat' (in Mecca).

After praising, and thanking God he said:

"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. God has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd'al Muttalib (Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived...

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under God's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before God and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O God, that I have conveyed your message to your people".

The Trouble with Brands

Most consumer brands are not creating value. The exceptions share a set of “energized” attributes that companies can identify and exploit.

Many companies that produce goods and services for consumers face a serious dilemma — quite apart from the effects of the current global economic downturn. For at least the past five years, the tried-and-true formulas to boost the sales and market shares of brands have been becoming increasingly irrelevant and have been losing traction with consumers. Globally, the aggregate value of brands to consumers has been falling steadily, and this decline began well before the recent slump in stock prices.

We know this through extensive research we have conducted on brands. Since 1993, we have been tracking the way consumers perceive and value products and services around the world to explain how brands grow, decline, and recover. Each year, we interview almost 500,000 consumers around the world, and each quarter, 15,000 consumers in the United States. We have studied 40,000 brands across 44 countries on more than 70 brand metrics, which include everything from the awareness consumers have of a brand to the particular ways it makes them feel.

Beginning in mid-2004, we discovered several curious and sobering trends in the data. Consumer attitudes about all sizes and segments of brands were in serious decline. Across the board, we saw significant drops in the key measures of brand value, such as consumer “top-of-mind” awareness, trust, regard, and admiration. This was true not just for a few brands, but for thousands, encompassing the entire range of consumer goods and services, from airlines and automobiles and beverages to insurance companies and hoteliers and retailers. We found that most brands were not adding to the intangible value of their enterprises the way they used to. Instead, the majority of brands seemed to be stalled in the consumer marketplace.

But at the same time, separate research we did on the financial performance of consumer companies revealed that brands were indeed creating more and more value for companies and shareholders. This was evident in increasing share prices, driven higher by the intangible value that the markets were implicitly attributing to brands. This pattern held as equity prices rose through 2007, but even after the recent collapse of prices, our models show that brand value continues to account for roughly a third of the total stock market value of corporations. In other words, there was — and is — a mismatch between the value that consumers saw in brands and the aggregate value that the markets were ascribing to them. This contradiction comes about because the perceptions influencing the dollar votes of consumers on Main Street are very different from the financial and mechanical analysis used by traders and analysts on Wall Street.

When all the facts were put together, we discovered that, yes, there was an increasing expansion of the value that financial markets are attributing to brands, but this value growth is actually attributable to fewer and fewer brands. Sure, for financial juggernauts like Google, Apple, and Nike, brand value continues to increase powerfully, but the number of these kinds of high-performance, value-creating brands is diminishing across the board, while the actual value created by the vast majority of brands is stagnating or falling.

This overall mismatch between consumer attitudes toward brands and the market values of the universe of companies that produce and own them is, we believe, a recipe for disaster at two levels. At the macroeconomic level, it implies that the stock prices of most consumer companies are overstated: A “brand bubble” is implied in their stock prices, and once it deflates — or worse, pops — it could further drive down valuation multiples and stock prices around the world. Meanwhile, for leaders of consumer-related corporations, the mismatch points to a serious, continuing problem in brand management.

What can consumer companies do to make sure that their brands aren’t among the losers? Our research revealed that the most successful brands today — including Adidas and iPhone and Pixar and Wikipedia — resonate with consumers in a special way: They communicate excitement, dynamism, and creativity in ways that the vast majority of brands do not. We call this quality “energized differentiation,” and we have identified, out of dozens of brand attributes in our consumer-research database, the metrics that capture this quality. By focusing on these attributes, marketers can keep their brands constantly moving and gaining value. In a world of excess capacity and diminishing trust, creating these kinds of energy-infused brands can help companies reinvigorate their brand management practices.

The Plunge in Brand Perceptions
As we set out in 2004 to compare consumers’ and Wall Street’s valuations of brands, we were acting much like meteorologists analyzing the various forces of nature to assess which combination causes hurricanes. To measure how brands affect the current and future financial performance of their enterprises, we merged our brand database with 15 years’ worth of financial data from Standard & Poor’s Compustat database and the University of Chicago’s Center for Research in Security Prices, studying a specific universe of 900 multinational “mono-brands.” These companies stake their entire name on a single powerful brand and derive more than 80 percent of their annual revenue from that brand. They include firms such as Intel, McDonald’s, and Microsoft. Along with marketing professors Robert Jacobson (Foster School of Business, University of Washington) and Natalie Mizik (Columbia Business School), we began analyzing many consumer variables to see if we could tell which group of brand attributes came closest to explaining unanticipated changes in stock price, especially upward valuations. Our emphasis was on unanticipated stock price changes because market values already anticipate a wide range of corporate financial and performance factors. We didn’t doubt that brand values were rising, and we were not trying to prove they shouldn’t. We were believers in brand value as a driver of intangible value — and we still are. But while doing that research, we discovered the enormous anomaly we have alluded to. While Wall Street had been bidding up the aggregate value of brands for the consumer sector, consumers’ overall perceptions of brands were substantially eroding. To our astonishment, because we were not even looking for it, we found that the consumer ratings on four key classical attitudes toward brands — trust, awareness, regard, and esteem — were tumbling.

Generations of marketing professionals have long accepted these four attributes as the defining measures of brand health, which they refer to as brand equity. These are the classical metrics that drive current brand performance and sales. High scores in trust, awareness, regard, and esteem indicate that consumers are likely to continue purchasing the brand and remain loyal to it.

The data showed consumer attitudes toward brands had fallen into steep decline. Despite the fact that the stock market’s valuation of brands had been rising since we had begun collecting our data in 1993, brand trustworthiness rankings had dropped more than 50 percent, perceptions of quality had fallen 24 percent, awareness of brands was down 20 percent, and esteem and regard for brands had fallen 12 percent. We saw thousands of well-respected brands that had, on average, lower scores on these metrics — results low enough that marketers would consider them indicative of “commoditized attitudinal patterns.” For these brands — including such household names as Century 21, Alpo, and Prudential — the numbers basically said that consumers knew them well but were not inspired to buy them.

This discrepancy was enormously puzzling. We would expect a positive correlation between brand value and the classical metrics of performance and sales. Instead, we found a significant negative correlation. We looked at other analysts’ brand data to confirm that our measurements and conclusions were sound. Sure enough, we found other market researchers around the world noting some early signs of the same brand meltdown. The Henley Centre, a marketing analysis firm in London, highlighted an erosion of big brands beginning in 1999 in the United Kingdom. In the firm’s annual study of the 17 largest, most iconic British brands, 16 showed a decline in consumer trust. In successive studies between 2000 and 2007, the Carlson Marketing Group, headquartered in Minneapolis, found a decline in consumer loyalty to brands. In 2000, four in 10 consumers showed a genuine preference for or commitment to only one brand in a given category, but that measure dropped all the way to one in 10 by 2007.

The big question, of course, is what’s behind this malaise. Why have consumers lost trust in, and respect for, brands? What should brand marketers do about the drop in performance and sales, the most meaningful indicators for the future of their brands?

Clearly, the issues are complex, with diverse factors dragging down brand perceptions among consumers, and we investigate many of those issues in our book, The Brand Bubble (Jossey-Bass, 2008). But we believe the problem can be summarized by three fundamental causes that are collectively diminishing consumer desire for brands, each of which intensifies the others. Although none of these phenomena are entirely new, they’ve never before operated simultaneously or quite so intensely. And set against the dramatic changes of a new digital landscape, they’re taking a far greater toll on brands than anyone had previously thought.

The first major problem with brands is excess capacity. Every marketer is up against this new reality: The world is overflowing with brands, and consumers are having a hard time assessing the differences among them. In 2006, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 196,400 trademarks, almost 100,000 more than it had in 1990. The average supermarket today holds 30,000 different brands, up threefold since 30 years ago. Globalization and increased competition compound the number of new brands. According to a Datamonitor report, 58,375 new products were introduced worldwide in 2006, more than double the number from 2002. The report points out that “despite the fact that advertising spending was up from [US]$271 billion in 2005 to $285 billion in 2006, 81% of consumers could not name one of the top 50 new products launched in 2006, an all-time high for lack of recognition and a huge leap up from 57% in the previous year.”

The second major problem is lack of creativity. In a world with Hulu, Yelp, YouTube, and Twitter, consumers are continuously exposed to and able to share brilliant content. Witness how Tina Fey’s characterization of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live ricocheted around the globe, or the fact that directors of music videos are now factoring the diminutive screens on mobile phones into their production techniques. The result of this democratization of creativity is that it has raised the consumer’s “creativity quotient.” Consumers expect more big ideas from brands, and they expect to get them faster.

The final major problem with brands is loss of trust. Our data shows that the amount of trust consumers place in a brand today is a ghost of what it was 10 years ago. In 1997, more than half of all brands enjoyed high levels of consumer trust. But society’s faith in institutions, corporations, and leaders has been severely rocked by scandals and betrayals, from misconduct at our investment banks to salmonella in our peanut butter to human growth hormone in our baseball players. One by one, such revelations have battered corporate credibility, leaving few brands immune. By 2008, consumers voted just over one-fifth of brands as trustworthy, more than halving the number of trusted brands in just over one decade.

Where does this leave those of us who are responsible for marketing and managing brands? How can brands build sustainable long-term value to get back into alignment with Wall Street’s expectations and valuations? The answer is not found in simply redoubling efforts to win back consumer awareness, esteem, and respect. Too much has changed in the world to just return to the old methods of marketing and expect better results.

We contend that conventional marketing continues to operate in a time warp. Most marketers keep striving to build consumer perceptions that drive current sales only for today. They skip along happily, stressing reason over emotion and persuasion over inspiration, still believing that customers can be programmed to form lifelong relationships, and that brands can forever maintain their intangible elixir of attraction and cachet. This manner of marketing pays too much deference to the brand’s existing equities, a reflection of past accomplishments. A reliance on brand equity can create a false sense of security, as though past recognition can generate an endless stream of future profits. Using only historic brand data to plot a course in today’s dynamic market is like driving 90 miles an hour looking out the back window.

The Anatomy of Energized Differentiation
Through our studies, we began noticing that consumers were concentrating their passion, devotion, and purchasing power on an ever-smaller portfolio of brands. We then noticed a correlation between these successful brands and a set of interrelated consumer metrics, that all add up to a more exciting, dynamic, and creative experience — in short, reflecting the brand’s energy. Energy was linked in the data to three main factors. First was the vision the brand presents to consumers, often originating from the leadership, convictions, and reputation of the company behind the brand. Second was the invention consumers perceive in the brand, through product or service innovation, design, or content. Third was the dynamism consumers feel — how the brand creates a persona, emotion, advocacy, and evangelism among consumers through its marketing and other forms of conversations with them.

Brands that rank high on our energy metrics include Adidas, iPhone, Nike, and Microsoft. The data shows that energy is not a function of brand maturity: Many established brands have as much energy as younger, flashier ones. Both McDonald’s and Walmart, for example, are highly energized. Energy plays a particularly powerful role in commoditized industries where brands usually struggle to build attributes like loyalty. In the airline sector, for example, the highest-energy brands include Southwest, JetBlue, and Virgin Atlantic; those brands have evoked much greater loyalty among consumers than low-energy brands like British Airways and Delta.

As we analyzed 48 different brand attributes in our database to isolate the metrics that capture brand energy, we began to find explanations for the anomaly we had discovered, and a way for brand managers to succeed in today’s changed marketing environment. We now know, and we can demonstrate, that brand energy is what keeps brands constantly moving and that it is critical to maintaining ongoing consumer appeal, loyalty, and success. To show how this works, we need to give you some background on the methodology we use to measure brands. Our BrandAsset Valuator (BAV) — the empirical model we’ve built with our database of consumer survey information — has become well known in marketing venues and is cited in many marketing textbooks. Numerous major marketers rely on the validity of this research methodology and its powers of measurement and prediction.

The BAV is constructed with two categories of metrics. Brand stature captures what a brand has achieved up to the time of this survey. It incorporates such metrics as esteem (consumers’ perceptions of quality and loyalty) and knowledge (consumers’ awareness of and experience with the brand). This reflects the brand’s current position in the market and its current value, and is a lagging indicator: It tends to be affected after the brand has changed.

Brand strength measures the brand’s growth potential. It incorporates the brand’s relevance (consumers’ perceptions about how appropriate the brand is for them) and its differentiation (consumers’ perception of the brand’s unique meaning to them). Brand strength reflects the brand’s future value, and is a leading indicator: an early visible sign of change.

Once we identified the attributes and importance of brand energy, we found that it fit closely with differentiation, and thus combined them into the single metric of energized differentiation. The impact that energized differentiation has on relevance is extremely important. Without relevance, the brand will languish. The brand may stand out with energy but have no meaning to consumers. Relevance is the pathway to strong consideration, trial, preference, and ultimately share of wallet. This is especially important in today’s downward-spiraling market.

The unique measure of energized differentiation establishes a direct link between brand momentum and creativity, financial earnings, and stock performance. Brands that currently have energized differentiation in vast quantities include Amazon, Axe, Facebook, Innocent, IKEA, Land Rover, LG, Lego, Tata Nano, Twitter, Whole Foods, and Zappos. Given the importance of energized differentiation in determining overall Brand strength, it’s useful to look more closely at its subcomponents.

Differentiation not only represents the brand’s point of difference, it also creates the meaning, margin, and competitive advantage in the brand. Differentiation is made up of the way consumers perceive three brand attributes: the offering, or the measure of the brand’s special characteristics in terms of products, services, and other content that the consumer experiences; uniqueness, the brand’s essence, positioning, and brand equity; and distinction, the reputation the brand has earned through existing communications and brand image created up to this point.

But energy is where the action is. It reflects the consumer’s perception of motion and direction. It sustains the brand’s advantages. High-energy brands create a constant sense of interest and excitement. Consumers sense that these brands move faster, see farther, and are more experiential and more responsive to their needs. In our correlations, we see a definite pattern in energized brands: The more energy they have, the greater consideration, loyalty, pricing power, and brand value (as a percentage of firm value) they command.

The three attribute clusters that make up energy have all been associated with momentum and industry leadership. They are:

1. Vision. Brands with vision embody a clear direction and point of view on the world. They convey what they’re on this planet to achieve. Some brands promise to change the way people think; others seek to shift expectations about the way things are done. Vision-driven brands see farther; they galvanize and inspire consumers to join in, allowing the brand to travel into new categories and create new meaning.

A parent company’s reputation can play a significant role in driving brand vision: How does the company act and behave toward its consumers, its employees, or the world beyond commerce? Does the company have an inspiring reputation that consumers admire? Is the company a great place to work? Does it care about social issues? Does it have a unique and powerful culture? In a transparent society, consumers don’t divorce their perceptions of the brand from overarching company values and conduct. They expect visionary brands to stand for higher-order benefits — and that also goes for the company behind the brand.

Brands that score strongly on vision include General Electric, Walmart, and Toyota, which have led in their categories on energy savings; Southwest Airlines, which says “Employees are our first customers” — and means it; IKEA, named one of the world’s most ethical corporations in 2007 for its employee practices and its promotion of environmental issues and children’s welfare; and Subway, which invented a new category of quick-service restaurant, healthy fast food.

2. Invention. Brands that score high in invention change how people feel and the way they behave. As the most functional element of energy, invention is built on the tactile and sensory associations that come from product and service experiences and other physical brand interactions. Invention can be built through innovation, brand iconography, packaging design, applied technology, retail environments, and customer service. A brand’s invention can never be static. It requires a commitment to continuous innovation, service excellence, and new forms of brand experience.

The brands that possess demonstrably strong invention include W Hotels, which offers its guests Wi-Fi in the lobby, “fashion emergency kits” from Diane von Furstenberg, and products from Bliss Spa; Zappos, which excels at customer service, including free returns on shoes purchased over the Internet; Nike and Apple, which teamed up to create Nike+, where Nike shoes transfer workout data to an iPod Nano; and Kidfresh, which introduced nutritious fast food for children with playful presentation and packaging.

3. Dynamism. Brands with dynamism create excitement in the marketplace through the way they present themselves to consumers. Dynamism is the most emotional and immediately visible of the three components. It reflects the brand’s ability to inspire consumer affinity. Traditionally the outcome of a big ad campaign, guerrilla marketing event, or highly visible marketplace event, dynamism engenders a persona, community, and evangelism among a brand’s users. Dynamic brands penetrate popular culture. They give consumers something to talk about, facilitating enthusiastic word-of-mouth discussion across consumer social networks and brand ecosystems.

The brands with top scores in this category illustrate the many flavors of brand dynamism: Harley-Davidson, which holds a rally in Sturgis, S.D., each August that marks the largest concentration of motorcycles on the planet; Twitter, which took SMS messaging to a fluid form of social networking used by millions; Design Barcode in Tokyo, which patented its idea to turn ordinary barcodes on products into forms of visual communication; and Mini Cooper, which mailed owners RFID chips with customizable messages that flash up on Mini billboards when they pass by.

Putting the Metrics to Work
By plotting a brand’s scores for measures of both brand strength and brand stature, we can paint an accurate, holistic picture of its status as a forward-looking measure of performance. We accomplish this by charting a two-by-two matrix that plots strength against stature. This can be done for a single brand at a time or for as many as thousands of global brands, creating a sort of “brand constellation,” something that resembles a stargazer map showing where all brands are at any given moment in comparison to one another without regard to brand categories.

When a brand generates abundant energy, it becomes more irresistible, which creates greater preference and usage, in turn attracting new users. We analyzed more than 2,000 brands in the BAV database over a four-year period and found that brands with higher energy-to-equity ratios in a given year showed substantial growth in usage and preference over the following year. One revealing exercise is to plot high-energy brands against their category averages and array them in the grid of stature and strength. These brands, thanks to energized differentiation, zoom upward out of their industries into much higher realms of performance. This exercise shows that they have become irresistible brands that transcend their categories and redefine their own markets.

Energized brands become market leaders that set new expectations for the way things should be. They don’t aim for mere awareness. Instead, they upend ideologies, challenge convention, and market themselves to consumers’ value systems. They tap into mind-sets that find business in a broader cross-section of the marketplace, attracting new users and growing their categories. And they go where the money is, creating greater margin power and future value creation. Companies with energized brands also deliver superior returns for shareholders over time.

Building the Energy-driven Enterprise
We now know that the brands that are thriving even in today’s difficult markets, and that will succeed in the future, have a more powerful form of differentiation than other brands — one with energy. These brands offer consumers a palpable sense of movement. Brands with energized differentiation drive future corporate financial performance more than the traditional brands that dominated the market for decades.

There’s an old adage, “Something that’s truly innovative can’t be measured.” But we’re now able to demonstrate the economic value of creativity in brands and explain how brands can break out to affect the future financial performance of their firms. We can link brand momentum and creativity with predictive financial performance.

The results suggest that there is a comprehensive five-step framework for companies that wish to build an irresistible brand by infusing it with energy.

1. Perform an “energy audit” on your brand. Your goal is to capture a baseline that identifies the current sources and level of energy so you can understand your brand’s strengths and weaknesses and detect how well your brand management is aligned with the dynamics of the new marketplace. As an entry point to the energy audit, we invite you to draw upon our proprietary BAV database.

2. Make your brand an organizing principle for the business. Do this by finding an essential brand thought that everyone can buy into. We call this process “building the energy core” — and it should be a lens through which every aspect of the customer experience, including products, services, and communications, is defined. A strong core allows a brand to segment customers by attitude and values, reorganizing its products and services with regard to customer insights and deeper emotional needs. A powerful core aligns the organization and allows it to more aggressively shape its future.

3. Create an energized value chain. The organization’s goals for the brand must become real for everyone; all participants must understand how their own actions boost the energy level of the brand and fuel the core. This process needs to begin in the C-suite and extend to all functional areas — sales, manufacturing and operations, distribution, information technology, customer relationship management, and human resources.

4. Become an energy-driven enterprise. Management must next focus on formalizing this way of working throughout the organization. Stakeholders need to transfer their energy and passion to their business units and functions. Once management’s aspirations for the brand and business become part of the culture, the process of building an energized brand enterprise is propelled forward.

5. Create a loop of constant reinvention. The final stage is to make sure that the organization and its brand are in a state of constant renewal. Brand managers must be ready to reshape themselves over and over again. Brands, like business, are in permanent flux. We must listen carefully to the market, and continuously modify, personalize, share, and improve upon our offerings. Especially in today’s economic environment, the benefits consumers are looking for in brands are evolving. By being keenly aware of these shifts in consumers’ perception and values, marketers can help their brands survive — and even grow into irresistible ones.