Indian carmakers call for comprehensive plan after Delhi smog crackdown

                MUMBAI: India's carmakers and dealers have called for a clear, nationwide policy to combat air pollution, after a crackdown on diesel cars and trucks in New Delhi, which campaigners have vowed to extend to other cities.

A Supreme Court decision on Wednesday to alleviate the smog-choked capital has unsettled India's car industry, which says an uneven, haphazard policy makes it hard to plan investments and allows damaging regulatory arbitrage across states.

"To improve the air quality ... we must take a comprehensive view of various factors causing pollution," said Vikram Kirloskar, vice-chairman of Toyota Motor Corp's local unit.

According to the World Health Organisation, 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India. To combat this, the government is debating policies including reducing cars in Delhi or offering cash to drivers who scrap old vehicles.

But the government has yet to announce a holistic policy or target more difficult causes of pollution such as generators or even motorbikes, a family vehicle for millions of middle class Indians. Wednesday's decision, the Supreme Court said in its order, would not hit "the common man".

New Delhi has one of the world's worst air pollution levels, but other cities such as Patna and Kolkata in India's east and Mumbai in the west also frequently register hazardous levels.

On Thursday, according to measurements taken by the U.S.

Consulate, Delhi registered an air quality index of 393 - well over the 301 level that marks "hazardous" levels. But Kolkata was "very unhealthy" at 212 and Mumbai "unhealthy" at 172 - all higher than Beijing, which was at 151.

"There needs to be a clearly laid out roadmap of what the government expects from the (auto) industry for the next 5-10 years, so companies get time to adapt and respond," said Mohit Arora, executive director at consultancy J.D. Power Asia Pacific.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at India's Centre for Science and Environment said the decision to ban large diesel vehicles in Delhi would trigger similar moves elsewhere, making a comprehensive solution essential.

"We need a national solution to the diesel problem," she said, adding that the government should either equalise the price of petrol and diesel or tax diesel cars at a higher rate until India adopts unified, stricter emission norms.

Analysts say that among those who have the most to lose from India's haphazard policies are dealers selling cars made by Toyota, Mahindra & Mahindra, Daimler AG's and Tata Motors' luxury arm, Jaguar Land Rover, brands who make large diesel cars.

Dealers in Delhi are already trying to send about 2,000 unsold - now banned - diesel vehicles to other dealerships in India or back to carmakers, said K.V.S. Rao, president of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association.

"This is just a trigger, a starting point," said Rao.

For Rao, a bigger worry is the call for a tax on all diesel vehicles - to be heard by the Supreme Court on Jan 5.


Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 spec revealed

                WARWICK (UK): Just nine months after announcing the project, the production iteration Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged has been revealed alongside confirmation that customer car build will commence in September.

Designer Ian Callum has evolved the concept shown in 2019 with a revised interior, more trim options and definitive chassis and powertrain set up.

Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged now features over 350 engineering, material and design changes that transform the much-loved car into a more practical and relevant GT.

Having covered over 20,000 miles of rigorous testing on the UK’s broad range of road types and qualities, as well as multiple sessions on both the wet and dry tracks at Michelin’s Ladoux proving ground, engineers carefully determined a crisper set up to amplify the driving experience of a classic GT.

Highly tuned rebound and compression of the Bilstein dampers provides composure with noticeably more agility and control. Careful bush selection, stiffer anti roll bars, a 10mm lower ride height, up to 60mm wider track and specific Michelin Pilot Sport tyre compounds assure linearity in roll and composure without resorting to a rock-solid track feel that contemporary GTs often lean towards.

Steering feel, aided by the fitting of a more slender wheel rim, lower seating position and the suspension improvements, is sharper with more feedback to reward the enthusiast driver. The overall result is a more versatile GT eminently suitable for everyday use.

R-Reforged has now also revealed the underbonnet revisions. Often overlooked, its engineers have detailed the area with carbon and leather dressing alongside the bespoke carbon intake system and tuned equal length stainless steel primary collectors that create a sonorous V12 howl from the 580bhp engine.

Alongside the reveal of the production specification car, now available for prospective customers to experience, R-Reforged confirmed it is building the first batch in September with initial cars destined for Europe and Latin America.


Ops Selamat 20: Two bicycle incidents among 1,618 accidents recorded on seventh day

                PETALING JAYA: A total of 1,618 accidents were recorded on the seventh day of Op Selamat 20.

Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), in their daily statistics today, said that the accidents involved 1,975 vehicles on April 26.

Of this total, 66% or 1,304 vehicles involved were cars.

A further 250 motorcycles were also involved in road accidents on Wednesday.

An additional two bicycles were also recorded in the accident statistics.

"The department advises all road users to be alert when driving to avoid the risk of being involved in accidents," it said.


World's first carbon-neutral car park opens in London

                LONDON: A British parking platform has launched what it says is the world's first carbon-neutral car park of its kind, fully offsetting carbon emissions from drivers parking at the premises.

The parking platform YourParkingSpace and its partner, sustainability experts Circular Ecology, say the space is achieving this carbon-neutral status by sourcing an equivalent amount of carbon savings from other environmental projects.

The car park, which is also run using 100-per-cent renewable energy, is sited at YourParkingSpace's London-based office in the city's Docklands district.

Car park managers around the world have already been trying to reduce the carbon footprint of parking by subtracting the number of bays available for cars or, as in London, by charging parked vehicles based on their level of carbon emissions.

In order to calculate the car park's total carbon emissions engineers assessed the average distance driven by motorists to and from the car park, as well as established emissions data for each vehicle, along with typical occupancy levels of the car park.

The emissions will be offset with Gold Standard carbon credits, a World Wildlife Federation (WWF) programme which the platform said enables projects that offset carbon emissions.

Critics say that since a large number of cars in urban areas are merely searching for a space to stop, and drivers circling while looking for a free parking space are contributing greatly to the environmental pollution at any given location.


April 19-25: No change in fuel prices — again

PETALING JAYA: Fuel prices remain unchanged across the board from April 19 -25.

RON95 petrol will retail at RM2.20 per litre, while RON97 will retail at RM2.47 per litre, and diesel priced at RM2.18 per litre.

This will be the fourth week that fuel prices have remained the same as Malaysians gear up to vote in the 14th general election on May 9.

The prices were announced on TV1 on Wednesday (April 18) evening and will take effect from 12.01am on April 19 until April 25.

The weekly fuel pricing mechanism came into effect in April last year and the prices of petrol and diesel have been placed on a managed monthly float system since Dec 1, 2014 following the removal of fuel subsidies.


BHPetrol holds SynGard lubricant promotion

                KUALA LUMPUR: A promotion campaign for BHPetrol SynGard lubricants that ends on Feb 29 offers premium items such as shopping vouchers and foldable travel bags.

With the SynGard "Kam Siah (thank you in Hokkien)" promotion, a passport wallet will be given away with every purchase of the SynGard 3000, LVis and K premium multi-grade lubricant; an armband phone pouch for the SynGard 6000 semi-synthetic lubricant; RM20 Giant shopping voucher for the SynGard 6000 Eco semi-synthetic lubricant; and a foldable travel bag for the the SynGard 8000 fully synthetic lubricant.

The promotion is at selected BHPetrol stations as well as 1,500 spare part dealers and vehicle workshops in the country.

The SynGard lubricants are priced in Peninsular Malaysia at RM198 for the 8000, RM148 for the 6000 Eco; RM125 for the 6000; RM88.80 for the 3000, RM81.80 for the LVis and RM63.80 for the K.

Retail prices are subject to 6% goods and services tax (GST).

The SynGard lubricants come in four-litre packs except for the K, which is in three-litre packs.

The 3000 is a premium multi-grade mineral-based oil for engines including the turbocharged and multi-valve types.

The LVis and K are premium multi-grade light viscosity mineral-based oils for compact vehicles.

The LVis is aimed at the Perodua Myvi segment, while the K is meant for smaller cars such as the Perodua Kancil and Viva.

BHPetrol deputy general manager of lubricants Soh Lip Peng said the SynGard "Kam Siah" promotion was the first of another aggressive marketing drive.

"Last year, about RM2mil worth of premium items were given out in promotion camapigns for BHPetrol SynGard lubricants. We aim to repeat or better that in 2016," said Soh.

Premium items given out last year ranged from dual-port USB adaptors, windbreakers, waterproof travel organisers to Giant and KFC vouchers.

In the second half of 2016, BHPetrol has plans to launch upgraded SynGard lubricants for passenger cars, with improved formulation based on additives from the United States.

"These will provide more value to our customers as the upgraded SynGard lubricants can result in cleaner engines and better fuel economy," said Soh.


Daniel Craig puts his Bond car up for auction

                LOS ANGELES: James Bond is parting with his personal Aston Martin.

Actor Daniel Craig, who has played the British spy in four films, is auctioning for charity the limited-edition vehicle made for him by Aston Martin four years ago, Christie’s auction house said on Thursday.

Aston Martin cars have appeared in Bond films over nearly 50 years, beginning with 1964’s “Goldfinger” in which Sean Connery drove a silver Aston Martin DB5. The brand has appeared in all four Bond films starring Craig.

Craig’s personal car is a 2014 Vanquish that Aston Martin produced just 100 units of to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Craig’s vehicle is, naturally, number 007.

“What he’s brought to the Bond character has been so appreciated by the company and, of course, zillions of fans.”

The vehicle has a midnight blue exterior and dark blue luxury leather interior chosen because of Craig’s preference for denim and dark colours, Christie’s said.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit New York-based charity The Opportunity Network, which helps students from disadvantaged communities achieve their college and career goals. Craig and his wife, actress Rachel Weisz, both sit on the organisation’s board of directors.

The car’s value is estimated at between US$400,000 and US$600,000 (RM1.5mil to RM2.3mil). It will be displayed at Christie’s showroom in Los Angeles from Feb. 27-March 3 before moving to New York, where it will be auctioned on April 20 as part of Christie’s annual decorative arts masterpiece sale called The Exceptional Sale.

Last year, Craig said he will reprise the role of James Bond one last time. The film is expected to be released in US cinemas on Nov 8, 2019.


Kia Optima wagon and plug-in hybrid head to Geneva

SEOUL: Kia will be showing off an Optima wagon and an Optima plug-in hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Optima Sportswagon is Kia’s first ever D-segment tourer, while its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will receive its European premiere at the show. Both cars will go on sale across Europe in Q4 2016.

Inspired by the 2015 SPORTSPACE concept, the Optima Sportswagon offers the striking exterior design and high quality interior of the 2016 Optima saloon, with the added practicality and appeal of a tourer bodystyle.

The Optima Sportswagon will be available with a choice of petrol and diesel powertrains, including a high-powered GT model. It will be equipped with a range of safety assistance and infotainment features, ensuring maximum occupant safety, comfort and enjoyment.

A thoroughly practical vehicle for everyday use, the Optima Sportswagon promises to be among the most stylish cars in its class, with a long, lean and dynamic profile. The Sportswagon retains the same width (1,860 mm) and length (4,855 mm) as the saloon, and grows by 5 mm in height (to 1,470 mm) to accommodate the expanded boot.

The additional cargo space resulting from the tourer bodystyle makes the Optima Sportswagon one of the most practical cars in its class, with 553 litres (VDA) of cargo space behind the second row of seats – 48 litres more than the Optima saloon.

A series of highly ergonomic features in the boot render the car more practical than many other D-segment tourers. These include a safety barrier net built in to the back of the rear seats and pop-up sliding luggage rails to secure individual items which are likely to slide or roll around the boot. A low, flat boot lip, and a Smart Power Tailgate – which opens the boot automatically when the Optima’s smart key is located in close proximity to the rear tailgate – enables owners to load heavy items easily.

Highly-versatile 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats are fitted as standard, enabling owners to slide longer outdoor equipment – such as skis or snowboards – through the central seat, while two rear passengers can still sit in comfort.

The new Optima Sportswagon features the same sharp lines and smooth bodywork that has come to define the latest Kia models. While the front of the car remains the same as the Optima saloon, its strong, rising shoulder and gently sloping, swept-back cabin continue for longer to produce its distinctive tourer body shape.

The overhang at the rear adds greater visual volume to the back of the vehicle, though this extra mass is disguised elegantly by the raked rear window and tapering roofline, giving the Sportswagon a genuinely athletic stance in a typically conservative segment.

At the rear of the car, wide LED tail lamps wrap around the corners of the bodywork. The rear bumper houses a single oval exhaust and features an integrated air diffuser, for a sporty finish.

The Optima Sportswagon will be available in Europe in a choice of nine paint colours, and will ride on alloy wheels ranging from 16- to 18-inches in diameter.

The Optima Sportswagon offers a premium-quality, driver-focused interior, with features and technologies typically associated with vehicles from the class above.

The wide dashboard, designed along a horizontal plane, helps to create a genuine sense of spaciousness and modernity, with the same high material quality and design that characterises the interior of the Optima saloon. For a quality ambience, the cabin is finished with a high proportion of soft-touch materials, cloth and leather trim in natural tones, and tasteful metallic accents. High levels of soundproofing reduce driver fatigue during long journeys and when travelling over broken surfaces.

The new Sportswagon is available with a choice of single- or two-tone colour interior schemes: single-tone (black) or two-tone (dark grey with light grey) in cloth or leather trim. The console is finished in gloss black and chrome.

The same technologies that make the Optima saloon one of the most innovative cars in the D-segment are featured in the Optima Sportswagon – a range of on-board technologies to improve usability, comfort and convenience.

The Optima Sportswagon is equipped with Kia’s latest audio-visual navigation (AVN) system, available with 7.0- or 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment – the latter when specified with the satellite navigation system. DAB digital radio, which is available across a number of European markets, is fully supported with Kia’s AVN.

The Optima Sportswagon will additionally be among first Kia models to feature Android Auto, designed to work with Android phones running 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher, and Apple CarPlay for iPhone 5 or newer. Both systems feature voice control and allow the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road ahead at all times.

Depending on market, other available features will include: 360-degree Around View Monitor, with four cameras helping the driver to manoeuvre when parking by displaying a birds-eye view of the Optima Sportswagon on the touchscreen; Smart Parking Assist System (SPAS), which parks the car automatically in parallel and perpendicular spaces and helps drivers safely leave a parking space; and Dynamic Bending Headlamps, which sweep the road ahead in line with the steering wheel for greater visibility and improved safety at night.

Going green

The plug-in hybrid will be a key addition to Kia’s D-segment Optima line-up, as well as the company’s expanding portfolio of low-emission vehicles.

It boasts greater battery capacity and pure electric range than earlier Optima Hybrid models, enabling drivers to travel up to 53km in zero-emissions electric-only mode before the 2.0-litre GDI (gasoline direct injection) engine is required to provide propulsion. Kia’s development teams are targeting combined CO2 emissions of 37 g/km, which will ensure a low total cost of ownership for private and fleet buyers alike.

The last-generation Kia Optima is credited with starting the brand’s design-led transformation when it was launched globally in 2010. The all-new Optima marks the next stage in this transformation, with the new Plug-in hybrid model featuring a series of visual enhancements. These changes differentiate the model from other Optima models powered by conventional internal combustion powertrains, and also improve aerodynamic efficiency.

Reprofiled front and rear bumpers enable more efficient air-flow over the body of the car, thanks to a more aerodynamically efficient design.

Also distinguishing the Optima plug-in  hybrid is special chrome trim with a clean metallic blue finish, for the rear bumper, grille surround and wheel arches, as well as special ‘EcoPlugin’ badging. The charging port is integrated into the driver-side front wing.

Inside, the Optima plug-in hybrid features a series of enhancements to reflect the innovative nature of the car and its powertrain. A new driver instrument cluster displays key information about the Plug-in hybrid powertrain – such as the battery’s state of charge – as well as details on driving style, highlighting where a driver can drive more efficiently.

The all-new Optima Plug-in hybrid comes equipped with a series of intuitive driver assistance technologies, maximising safety and further contributing to efficient engine performance.

The car is powered by a 9.8 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack paired with a 50 kW electric motor, allowing it to operate in pure-electric mode for up to 53km at speeds as high as 120kph, placing the Optima Plug-in hybrid among the leaders in the D-segment for pure-electric range.

The powertrain employs Kia’s efficient 2.0-litre ‘Nu’ four-cylinder GDI engine, which on its own generates 154hp and 189Nm. The engine is coupled with the electric motor, which allows the car to operate in charge-sustaining mode once the battery runs out of charge. The powertrain’s total power output is 202hp at 6,000 rpm, with the application of the electric motor facilitating immediate engine response to throttle inputs. With the addition of electric power, the plug-in hybrid’s total torque output is a high 375Nm  from just 2,300 rpm.

Power is applied to the road through a  six-speed automatic gearbox, with the transmission-mounted 50 kW electric motor that is used to power the Optima plug-in hybrid replacing the traditional torque converter.

The Optima plug-in hybrid’s next-generation battery system features a 9.8 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, which produces significantlymore energy output than the battery pack found in the outgoing Optima’s hybrid system. Its simplicity enables compact packaging on the front axle, and a straightforward provision of electric and petrol power to the driven front wheels with minimal energy transfer and conversion losses.

The Optima plug-in hybrid will accelerate from 0-to-100 kph in 9.4 seconds, 0.6 seconds faster than the previous-generation parallel hybrid, the Optima Hybrid.

The Optima Plug-in hybrid is expected to deliver carbon dioxide emissions of 37 g/km (combined, New European Driving Cycle).

In spite of the space taken up by the high-capacity battery pack, the Optima Plug-in hybrid is packaged in such a way to allow a 307-litre (VDA) cargo capacity, with the new battery pack hidden behind the rear seat and in the tyre well. The addition of the plug-in powertrain means engineers have been able to fit a smaller fuel tank than the outgoing Optima Hybrid, with capacity reduced from 65 to 55 litres.

It will hit European showrooms later this year, offering the company’s unique 7-year, 160,000km warranty as standard. The car will be built at Kia’s plant in Hwasung, South Korea.


Nikola, ChargePoint to boost charging infra for commercial EVs

                PHOENIX: Electric-truck maker Nikola Corp said today it will partner with charging company ChargePoint Holdings to speed up the deployment of the required infrastructure for commercial EVs.

Many fleet operators are inclined to use more electric vehicles as they aim to reduce carbon emissions and meet sustainability targets, however, the lack of proper infrastructure has been a deterrent.

Nikola said with access to ChargePoint's products it will be able to reduce the time required to build infrastructure projects that will help its customers manage charging of their vehicles, plan schedules and streamline delivery routes.

The companies, however, declined to provide the financial details of the partnership.

The announcement of the deal comes a week after Nikola said that scaling up charging infrastructure for fleets was a hurdle, exacerbated by end-customers' reluctance to spend capital for the development.

Nikola expects such challenges to continue and limit uptake of its Tre battery electric semi truck.

It said the company would miss its target of delivering at least 300 vehicles this year and declined to issue fresh forecasts, citing macroeconomic uncertainty clouding visibility of its future.

Phoenix, Arizona-based Nikola has placed orders for ChargePoint's fast charging solution, E-Skids, and deliveries are expected to begin as early as this month.


GM eyes autonomous future as it sells Opel

                NEW YORK: The move by US auto giant General Motors to offload money-losing European brand Opel marks its latest effort to focus on more profitable markets and autonomous driving technology.

The largest US automaker announced Monday the sale of European brands Opel and Vauxhall to French automaker PSA for 1.3 billion euros (US$1.4 billion), pulling away from a region that has produced 16 years of losses totaling US$15 billion.

While the transaction is expected to drop GM from its rank as the world’s third biggest automaker in terms of sales, it could provide the company with US$1.4 billion in available cashflow, analysts said.

”GM opts for profitability over scale,” Jairam Nathan, analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets, said of the deal. Maryann Keller of the automotive consultancy Maryann Keller & Associates, described the move as born of “common sense” and the recognition of the need to prepare for a new era.

”The height of Europe’s technical leadership was when cars were largely propelled by mechanical components,” Keller said in a note. “But that leadership has eroded with the introduction of advanced electronics in all vehicle systems.

”With the auto industry now aiming for autonomous and connected cars, the epicenter of technical leadership is in the US and not across the Atlantic.”

In Europe, GM has suffered as it has built smaller cars that have leaner profit margins in a region where labor laws are less flexible than in the United States.

Since taking over at GM in 2014, chief executive Mary Barra has emphasised profitability over sales. In early 2015, the company stopped production in Thailand and Indonesia and abandoned Russia.

Barra said Monday that GM would continue to sell a modest number of cars in Europe through its Cadillac line as well as continued presence with the iconic Corvette and Camaro sportscars.

While GM has pulled back from less-profitable regions, it has continued to invest in North America, where robust sales of sport utility vehicles and pickups have led to strong profits the last couple of years.

GM also is targeting China, which led the global auto market in 2016 with 28 million in car sales last year.

Sales of GM’s Buick line and Wuling, part of a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, in 2016 sold two times as many cars as Opel and Vauxhall.

Overall, GM’s sales in China rose seven percent to 3.9 million cars.

GM president Dan Ammann said the Opel deal allows the company“to more sharply focus our time and resources on higher-growth, higher-return investments in our core automotive business and in new technologies that are transforming our industry.”

GM is in a race with longtime rival Ford and others to produce autonomous cars, seen as the next big frontier in the industry that is expected to demand resources and attention.

Analysts Keller said, “The auto industry is in the process of redefining‘what is a car’ as well as the purpose of automakers in the car’s evolutionary future.”

”This paradigm shift will require automakers to seek significant capital to fund future acquisitions and investments.”


Hyundai teases new IONIQ addition via SEVEN SUV Concept

                SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Company revealed on Thursday teaser images of an all-electric SUV concept to be unveiled at AutoMobility LA later this month.

The sleek and spacious SEVEN aims to capture Hyundai's future design and technology innovation in the electric mobility era and hints at a new SUV model coming to the IONIQ family, the company's dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand.

The teased images reveal a form following function design that diverges from traditions of the internal combustion engine era.

SEVEN's lighting architecture is defined by Parametric Pixels, IONIQ's unique design identity connecting analogue with digital emotions.

SEVEN's interior suggests a premium and personalised lounge ambience, deepening the space innovation that Hyundai has shown with IONIQ 5.

Furnishings trimmed in sustainable materials offer a refined, eco-friendly mobility experience that reflects the changing lifestyles of its customers.

Hyundai Motor will debut SEVEN at AutoMobility LA on Nov 17.


ABB teams up with Northvolt on Europe's biggest battery plant

                ZURICH/STOCKHOLM: Swiss engineering group ABB has joined Northvolt’s project to build Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery factory in Sweden to cater for expected demand growth for electric cars.

Northvolt aims to reduce reliance on batteries from China and South Korea as European carmakers come under increasing pressure to cut vehicle emissions.

Batteries are the biggest single cost of an electric car and VW has called for the creation of a European supplier to compete with dominant Asian players such as Panasonic, LG Chem and China’s CATL.

The agreement between ABB and Northvolt covers a supply and technology partnership as well as collaboration on research and product development. ABB Technology Ventures (ATV) will support the initial phase of the project with a 10 million euro investment, it said.

Former Tesla executive Peter Carlsson’s Northvolt wants the Swedish plant to rival the scale of the US electric carmaker’s Gigafactory in the Nevada desert, targeting annual cell production equivalent to 32 gigawatt-hours by 2023.

The factory is expected to start production in 2020. A demonstration line will be ready by 2019, ABB said in a statement.

Carlsson’s vision comes against the backdrop of automakers such as BMW, Daimler, VW and Renault-Nissan all planning a rapid ramp-up in electric car production in the coming years.

VW, for instance, plans to invest more than 20 billion euros in zero-emission vehicles by 2030 to challenge pioneer Tesla in creating a mass market.

Carlsson told a press conference on Tuesday that between 80 million euros and 100 million euros is needed to fund the Swedish factory’s pre-production line. That represents the first tranche of a total $4 billion in fundraising targeted in March.

More deals are expected in the near future, Carlsson said on Tuesday. “I can’t say exactly when we will announce them, but we are in a number of different parallel discussions,” he said.

ABB intends to supply robotics, automation and electrification solutions for the project.

Northvolt has been considering two Swedish cities - Vasteras and Skelleftea - for the factory’s location and is expected to announce its decision in mid-October.


EU to urge 2035 goal to end combustion-engine era in vehicles

                BRUSSELS: The European Union is set to propose all new cars sold from 2035 should have zero emissions, as part of an unprecedented plan to align its economy with more ambitious climate targets.

The European Commission, the bloc’s regulatory arm, plans to require emissions from new cars and vans to fall by 65% from 2030 and drop to zero from 2035, according to an EU document seen by Bloomberg News.

The tougher pollution standards will be complemented by rules that will oblige national governments to bolster vehicle charging infrastructure.

The clean overhaul of transport will be part of a swath of measures to be unveiled next week to enact a stricter 2030 climate goal of cutting greenhouse gases by at least 55% from 1990 levels.

Europe aims to become the world’s first net-zero emissions continent by 2050, which will require overhauling every corner of its economy with transport and industry being the biggest challenges.

“There’s no way around it, reaching net zero by 2050 means phasing out combustion vehicle sales by 2035 at the latest,” said Colin McKerracher, head of advance transport research for BloombergNEF.

The new vehicle emission targets would be a significant tightening compared with the existing fleet-wide emissions goals, which require a 37.5% reduction from 2030 for cars. Passenger cars account for about 12% of total EU CO2 emissions.

The industry has been bracing for tough new measures. Barclays Plc said it will be difficult for carmakers to achieve a 60% emissions reduction target by 2030 even with plug-in hybrids, but the policy will drive further adoption of battery-electric models.

“These targets should not come as a surprise, although they clearly require an accelerated shift,” Kai Alexander Mueller, a Barclays auto analyst, wrote in a report Friday.

Automakers have in recent months announced plans for most or all of their sales in Europe to be battery-electric by the end of the decade.

Volkswagen AG, the region’s largest manufacturer, plans for more than 70% of its namesake brand sales to be EV from 2030 onward. Renault SA’s main marque plans to reach 90% penetration by then, while Ford Motor Co. has said its passenger car business will be all-electric.

“Tightening the CO2 targets this much is a huge boost for Europe’s EV market,” said BNEF’s McKerracher. “The steady drumbeat of European automakers upping their EV commitments recently is probably an indication that they knew much tighter targets were coming.”

Carbon market

The EU executive will next week propose strengthening and expanding its carbon market, revising energy taxation rules to discourage the use of fossil fuels and imposing the world’s first climate levy on certain emissions-intensive goods brought into the region.

The Fit for 55 package will also include more ambitious climate targets for member states in areas not covered by the carbon market.

The package to be unveiled July 14 will also include a proposal to boost the share of power the bloc gets from renewable energy to 40% from the current 32% by the end of this decade, the document showed.

The revised renewable energy law will set targets for the use of sustainable fuels in transport, heating and cooling, buildings and industry.

To help the massive roll-out of electric vehicles, a regulation on alternative fuels will require member states to ensure electric charging points are installed every 60km on major highways. Hydrogen refuelling points would have to be available at the maximum interval of 150km.

The document may still change before the package is adopted by the commission. The EU executive arm has a policy of not commenting on draft legislation.


Nissan LEAF improves range to 250km

                ROLLE (Switzerland): The Nissan LEAF has been updated to give a range of 250km, beating all of its competitors in the segment.

This is a 25% increase in the driving range on a single charge.

The extended range is the result of a new 30kWh batterry and it broadens the LEAF’s appeal – making it a true alternative to an internal combustion engine vehicle for thousands of motorists and reinforcing its position as the world’s best electric car.

The new battery has the same size as the existing 24kWh unit and only a modest 21 kg increase in weight.

Key to the new battery’s higher performance is an update to its internal design and chemistry. The introduction of Carbon, Nitrogen and Magnesium to the electrodes improves performance, while the change to the cell layout also contributes to the gain. The battery capacity will be covered by an eight year, 160,000km warranty.

One of the LEAF’s most useful features is its ability to interact with and be controlled remotely by its owner via NissanConnect EV. From being able to check charge status to pre-heating the cabin on cold winter days, owners across the world have used this smartphone-enabled telematics facility to make life even easier. NissanConnect EV is able to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin without using battery energy.

The LEAF 30 kWh introduces a significant update to this unique technology with a new NissanConnect EV system that replaces the previous Carwings setup. It retains all the elements of the original system, but adds new features, a much-simplified activation process and a new design.

One of the many advances of the new NissanConnect EV system is the new charging map that is capable of showing which charging points are available and which are being used. Designed to offer seamless integration with the new-generation NissanConnect EV infotainment system, it also features a revised navigation system, maintenance alerts and a car-finder facility.


New generation Citroën hatchback revealed

                LONDON: Citroën continues its electrification offensive in 2020, turning its attention from today to the compact hatchback segment – publishing the very first images of the new ë-C4 - 100% ëlectric and new C4.

Following on from its successful SUV offensive with the launch of C3 Aircross SUV and C5 Aircross SUV – 300,000 and 200,000 sales respectively – Citroën is ready for the next stage in the rollout of its product strategy, focusing firmly on the hatchback market.

Compact hatchbacks remain an important part of the European car market, accounting for nearly 28% of C-segment sales in 2019. The new ë-C4 and new C4 tick all the boxes in this competitive segment, while offering a modern and characterful new design concept as an integral part of the product offering.

Citroën’s new-generation compact hatchback is inspired by its customers and the way they experience their cars. The 100% electric ë-C4 and C4 have all the qualities needed to shake up a segment that is having to reinvent itself.

For Citroën, that means offering an all-new silhouette with a choice of 100% electric, petrol or diesel power.

The ë-C4 and C4 also represent a new design concept at the heart of the C-Hatch segment, with a unique and bold identity. The elevated and assertive stance means the body shape has all the elegance and dynamism of a hatchback, while subtly adopting certain SUV traits for added strength and character.

Aerodynamic and flowing, the exterior design echoes Citroën’s well-known aesthetics, while bringing a new expression of style to the range. Its warm and high-tech interior instantly expresses well-being, comfort and modernity.


Renault Captur+ introduced from RM113K

KUALA LUMPUR: TC Euro Cars (TCEC), the sole franchise holder of Renault vehicles in Malaysia, has announced the introduction of the Captur+ crossover that comes with a cleaner engine and added 'bells and whistles' over the standard Captur.
The Captur+ has been priced at RM113,300 (on0-the-road without insurance) which is RM5,320 more than now entry-level Captur at RM107,980.

For peace of mind, the Captur+ is covered (like all Renault vehicles) by a five-year unlimited mileage manufacturer’s warranty with free service and maintenance (parts and labour) for five years or up to 100,000km (whichever comes first).

It is also accompanied by a complimentary 24 hours roadside assistance, pick-up and delivery during scheduled maintenance at Renault service centres and mobility service of a replacement car in the event any part is unavailable for more than 48 hours at authorised service centres (subject to availability).

Additionally, from now until May 30, the company is running its 'French Experience' sales campaign where any customer who purchases a Renault vehicle will stand a chance to win a trip for two to Paris, France.

Under the hood, the Caputr+ uses an improved 1.2-litre (1,197cc) direct-fuel injected turbocharged TCe 120 engine that's now Euro 6-compliant while providing 120PS at 5,000rpm and 205Nm (+10Nm) from 2,000rpm.
This means that it provides for a cleaner combustion cycle and with an added start-stop engine function helps to further improve fuel economy that's touted to be as low as 5.9 litres per 100km on the combined cycle.The engine is managed by a six-speed Efficient Dual-Clutch (EDC) transmission and sends power to the front wheels.
Externally, the Captur+ features a combination of silver and black two-tone finish for the front and rear bumper.

To enhance convenience, it comes with a height-adjustable hands-free powered tailgate that can be activated with a wiggle of the foot beneath the rear bumper.

Standard provisions for budding new owners will include a new 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and has been upgraded with offline and online navigation as well as internet connectivity.
The infotainment system is able to support smartphone applications that include Joox and Waze among others via hotspot connection.Other standard features unique to the Caputr+ include a driving video recorder (DVR) that's capable of recording up to 136 minutes of video footage in 1080p resolution with a 16GB microSD card and even has an impact-sensing function, good low light performance and a smartphone application for users to retrieve their videos.Furthermore, the seats of the Captur+ are upholstered in a combination of leather and fabric, which is extended to the door trims as well as the driver's adjustable armrest with storage compartment.Additionally, the aluminium kickplates for the front and rear door sills have been etched with "Captur" which is further applied to the rear boot's entry guard with 377 litres which is expandable to 1,235 litres when the 60:40-split rear seat's backrests have been folded down.Adding to the list of standard features, the Captur+ also comes with keyless-entry with push-start button, walk-away central locking system, LED fog lights, speed-sensitive auto door locks, automatic headlights and wipers, reverse camera.The Captur+ also comes with an ECO Mode that's touted to improve fuel economy by up to 10%, a multi-position boot floor, large front door bins that can accommodate up to 1.5-litre drink bottles, four airbags, the anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, electronic stability control and hill start assist.


10 modern car 'inventions' you thought were new but are not

                DETROIT:  After checking out everything luxury at the Detroit Auto Show last week, I spent some time at General Motor's Heritage Center. The complex is about 48km from downtown Detroit and houses 15,000 linear feet of old paper archives (that's a dozen Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other); plus, the multiple warehouses there hold more than 400 cars made at one time or another over GM's 100-year history.

The centre is not open to the public, but you can make an appointment for a private visit. If you do go, I suspect you’ll both have a great time and be surprised by what you find. I know I was.

Seeing all that early technology in one place, I was struck by how much of it is not too different from what we expect in cars today-in fact, much of the stuff that many drivers think is new and freshly innovative was actually innovated decades ago.

Take radar crash avoidance, for example - it's more than 50 years old. And alternative drive modes? We've definitely been there and done that.

I also loved seeing a lot of the old concepts at the Heritage Center that didn't make it today, having been cast aside because of budget cuts and increasingly stringent federal safety regulations.

The V16 engine, for example, never came back to life because it drank massive amounts of fuel and would incur federal gas-guzzler penalties. I saw some crazy, oblong radar cones that aren’t aerodynamic enough to pass wind-resistance tests and huge tail fins that hid gas caps but which would require too much sheet metal to be economical.

The cars listed below aren’t necessarily the very first to contain each technology, but they are notable examples of its use.

High Beams

Notable Car: 1915 Cadillac Type 51. OK, these are a far cry from the automatic, road-smart, powerful LED headlamps we have today. But the idea behind them definitely started in 1915. That was the year Caddy introduced tilt-beam headlights, which were operated by a handle on the dash and were an early form of high beams. It proved a major advance in nighttime visibility and set the standard for others to follow.

Radar Detection for Crash Avoidance
Notable Car: 1959 Cadillac Cyclone Concept. Two dark domes on the front of the car housed detectors that would alert the driver in case another car got too close. (Another futuristic feature: The Cyclone also had tiny sliding doors-like on a minivan only much smaller.)

16-cylinder Engines
Notable Car: With the 1931 Cadillac V16, the marque became the first domestic car manufacturer to release a production model version of a V16 automobile. It came with a then-extremely high 165 horsepower engine, could hit 80 mph, and came in 10 body styles with nearly limitless color options. Consider it the Ferrari LaFerrari of its day. The MSRP was an expensive US$6,500, roughly US$100,000 in today's dollars.

Push-Button Ignition
Notable Car: 1914 Ford Model T-the very first mass-produced car. Oops, did you stall it? No problem. Put on the emergency brake; place your left foot on the clutch to keep the car neutral (it will jump into second if you don’t); adjust the slim silver electric moderator lever on the steering wheel; and reach down below the bench to your left by the door to push the start button. Just like every luxury car today with their push-button starts-only way more complicated.

Alternate Drive Modes
Notable Cars: Cadillacs in 1933 came with a ride selector-essentially a lever-which allowed the driver to adjust the suspension damping/rigidity to improve the drive and handling on the fly. Tighter for smooth, fast roads. Looser for uneven terrain. There wasn’t quite a “sport” or “eco” mode, but this got the process started.Automatic

Rain Sensors
Notable Car: While a Le Sabre concept car first showed a novel rain sensor in 1951, the technology first appeared in production on the 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. The system worked by automatically closing the convertible top and raising the windows when sensors on the side of the car detected rain.

Removable Back Seats
Notable Car: 1903 Model A Runabout. This was the first Cadillac (and the one closely copied by Henry Ford). It had a single-cylinder engine and was known colloquially as the “Model A.” The front portion had a bench seat, and the back came with two removable seats-one positioned on each side.

Hidden Gas Caps
Notable Cars: Cadillac and many other smaller brands (Tucker) had a lot of models in the 1940s through the ’60s that obscured the fuel input-all the better for making wide clean lines along the sides of the body. An ingenious one made by GM was the 1955 Caddy Coupe DeVille, which hid it under one of the large tail fins. To access it, you pushed a little button and lifted up the top of the cap over the light at the top of the fin.

Electric Motors
Notable Cars: many of them. In 1911, Woods Motor Vehicle Company introduced the first gasoline-electric hybrid car in Chicago. (Germany was producing electric cars as early as the 1880s.) More recently, in 1973, General Motors made the Urban Electric Car and promoted it for its electric battery and tiny two-seat design. GM hasn’t released too many stats about that car-it had a huge front swinging door and was just a concept, after all-but it was heavily discussed and photographed charging its battery at an important symposium on low-pollution power system development during that time.

Alternative Fuels
Notable Car: The 1956 Firebird II Experimental used kerosene (jet fuel, basically) to propel the four-seat “land- bound aircraft” to 200 horsepower. What's more, the Firebird II was the first car to have four-wheel disc brakes, a fully independent suspension, and a guidance system that was supposed to use an electrical wire embedded into the road that would send signals to guide the car and help avoid accidents. Also: GM made something called the Electro-Van in 1966; it was the world's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle.


Australia throws ailing auto industry lifeline

                SYDNEY: The Australian government threw the country’s ailing auto industry a lifeline today, reinstating A$500mil (RM1.4bil) in funding to ensure it can continue until it shuts for good in 2017.

All three of Australia’s key car manufacturers - Toyota, Ford and Holden -  plan to cease production by the end of 2017 at the latest, citing high costs and the small domestic market.

Cuts in taxpayer subsidies to the industry were outlined in last year’s federal budget, but Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said the government was now concerned that withdrawing funding would hurt component manufacturers.

This, he added, could potentially force car makers to shut up shop earlier than expected.

“It’s a reflection that we want the car industry to continue until the day Holden close their doors,” he told reporters.

“And what Holden was saying to us and what Toyota was saying to us and to a lesser extent Ford, was that they couldn’t be sure their components suppliers were going to be in business in 2017.

“So this gives not only certainty to the components suppliers but it gives the car industry manufacturers the opportunity to pass some of this money through to the components suppliers to ensure they’re continuing until the end of 2017.”

Macfarlane added that “we know the car industry is going to close in Australia”.

“The reality is, though, that we need to make sure the industry continues right up to the end of 2017.”

Since coming to power in 2013, the conservative government has adopted a hard line on industry assistance, warning last year that the “age of entitlement” is over when it comes to taxpayer-funded handouts.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union official Dave Smith said the backflip was a big win for workers in the states of South Australia and Victoria, where the car industry is focused.

“Fifty thousand workers can breath a little easier because their industry should keep going to 2017,” he said, while condemning the government for giving the industry “18 months of uncertainty and inaction”.


Nissan Ariya takes to Monaco street circuit for public driving debut

                MONTE CARLO: The all-electric Nissan Ariya made its first public appearance over the weekend, undertaking its debut drive around the iconic Circuit de Monaco in the glamourous French Riviera.

The all-electric coupé crossover’s sleek design was complemented by the stylish Monaco backdrop, as Ariya completed laps of the famous street circuit which has hosted Nissan’s latest journey in Formula E.

“Ariya’s public driving in the streets of Monaco is a great way to witness the capabilities of our e-4ORCE technology," said Arnaud Charpentier, Region Vice President, Product Strategy and Pricing, Nissan AMIEO.

Ariya is the epitome of Nissan’s innovation in electric mobility and this event marks a defining moment in the next chapter of Nissan’s EV journey.”

Combining powerful performance, connected technologies and a new EV design, the Ariya all-electric crossover is the icon of Nissan’s innovative and electric future.

It features advanced connectivity, technology, a competitive range of battery capacities and the unique e-4ORCE drivetrain.

Formula E has captured the imagination of people around the world and spotlighted the thrilling possibilities for electric vehicles.


One-off Rolls-Royce Phantom Oribe unveiled

                LONDON: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has co-created a bespoke Phantom in a  collaboration with Hermès.

Designed and handcrafted by a combined team of bespoke specialists at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex, and Hermès in Paris, Phantom Oribe reflects the specs set by its owner, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa.

Maezawa envisioned the car as a "land jet", bringing the serene exclusivity of private air travel to the road.

The car's striking two-tone exterior matches the characteristic green and cream glazes of antique Japanese Oribe ware, of which Maezawa-san is a prominent collector.

The upper part is finished in Oribe Green, a fully Bespoke colour created exclusively for Maezawa; in an unusual move, Rolls-Royce has made the paint available for use on the client’s private jet the Phantom will be paired with.

Developed over many months by specialists in the Surface Finish Centre at Goodwood, it perfectly captures the lustrous, deep-green glaze that characterises these 16th century ceramics.

The effect is completed by the cream-white lower section.

The Oribe ware-inspired colourway  continues through the interior, created and realised through a meeting of minds between Hermès designers and craftspeople in Paris, and the Rolls-Royce team in England.

Together, they applied their expertise to ensure every individual component embodies the finest traditions of both houses.

The interior is finished predominantly in Hermès Enea Green leather, extending to details that include the immediate touch-points of the client; for example, the steering wheel, duchess handles, gear selector and the rotary controls for the car’s climate settings.

The Hermès leather covers the upper instrument panel, interior pillars and parcel shelf.

It also enrobes less visible surfaces including the glove compartment and luggage compartment lining, centre console, decanter stowage compartment and Champagne cooler.

In a sign of the project's collaborative nature, the glove compartment lid is embossed with the signature Habillé par Hermès Paris.

Delicate Hermès piping adorns the headrest cushions and calf supports of the rear seats, while soft Seashell White accents and matching lambswool floor mats create a sense of light and space throughout.

The interior is also replete with examples of Rolls-Royce Bespoke design and handcraftsmanship.

Wooden speaker frets, for example, are formed by meticulously perforating the Open Pore Royal Walnut veneer applied to the doors, creating a seamless, textured aesthetic and delicate haptics.

 Maezawa

Open Pore Royal Walnut is additionally applied to the centre and rear consoles and picnic table backs; in another first for Rolls-Royce, the interior features Hermès ‘Toile H’ canvas on the door armrests, centre and rear consoles and, most notably, the signature headliner.

Hermès brings its distinctive equestrian heritage and innovative craftsmanship know-how to the car, with the leather upholstery created using stitching and edge-painting techniques originally employed by master saddlers.

For Phantom’s Gallery, a feature unique to Rolls-Royce, that runs the length of the motor car’s fascia, Hermès commissioned an artwork based on a design by the celebrated French artist and illustrator Pierre Péron (1905–1988) who created many of the House's iconic scarves.

The work, inspired by the famous Hermès horse motif, is hand-painted on Open Pore Royal Walnut and is presented as though staged in an art gallery, behind glass.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive officer Torsten Müller-Ötvös said the Phantom showed what is possible when talented people from two renowned companies work together to meet the challenging demands of a customer.


Germany's car bosses bid to head off diesel ban with software patch

                BERLIN: Germany's powerful car industry offered Wednesday to provide a software upgrade that would cut harmful emissions in 5 million vehicles, but critics cried foul saying it is simply a "stop-gap fix" for a colossal pollution cheating scandal.

In a bid to head off threats by major cities to partially ban diesel vehicles in their fight against deadly smog, bosses of auto groups Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW and Opel promised a patch that would reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by between 25 and 30 percent.

But it is unclear how many of these vehicles come in addition to those that had been offered a fix after a pollution cheating scam that engulfed Volkswagen broke in September 2015.

The latest offer had come after a meeting hosted by the transport and environment ministries, as the sector sank into a crisis.

Environmentalists said the result of the talks simply did not go far enough.

"The planned software upgrade of diesel engines, that should reduce NOx emissions by up to 25 percent, is a welcome stop-gap measure to help alleviate diesel-choked cities - but this is not a long-term solution to the air pollution crisis," said Greg Archer of lobby group Transport and Environment.

"Nor will it make diesel clean. Furthermore, carmakers are not being transparent about the details of the 'upgrades' or whether the recall will be EU-wide and extend to vans — as it needs to," he added.

Germany's auto sector has been scrambling to rescue its reputation and save diesel motors over the last two years.

The first cracks in the oft-vaunted sector emerged in September 2015, when Volkswagen admitted installing illegal devices in millions of vehicles world-wide to rig pollution emissions readings.

But suspicions of similar cheating have since widened to other German carmakers, including Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler and BMW.

In July, Spiegel magazine heaped on further pressure as it published details of a VW letter to German and European competition authorities which it said showed that auto giants colluded on technology, suppliers, costs, sales and markets since the 1990s.

Adding to the clouds hanging over the industry, a court in Stuttgart — the home city of Mercedes and Porsche — ruled that only a partial ban on diesel vehicles would be effective at clearing the air of poisonous NOx emissions.

Germany has already been warned by the European Commission over its air quality, and now public opinion is starting to swing in favour of outlawing diesel.

A survey commissioned by Greenpeace found that 57 percent of Germans back such a ban in cities with poor air quality.

Two months before a general election, the issue is shaping up to be a hot potato topic as Chancellor Angela Merkel needs to weigh the interests of a sector with more than 800,000 jobs in the balance and those of millions of car owners against public health.

"The car industry is of strategic importance ... it must be strong and innovative but also honest. So it's about criticising what needs to be criticised, but to do so while bearing in mind that it's a strategically important industry in Germany," said her spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Monday.

The problem is that the industry had plumped for diesel as it spews out less climate-altering carbon dioxide than petrol-burning motors.

While electric cars are viewed as green, electricity generation in Germany is not always clean — with some 40 percent still stemming from coal.

For these reasons, Merkel herself has warned against "demonising diesel".

But the flip side of the technology is that it emits more NOx, contributing to the formation of smog and fine particles that cause respiratory and cardiac problems.

For now, Germany's auto giants are hoping their voluntarily efforts towards lowering emissions will buy them time as they ramp up electric car development.

Some 15 million diesel vehicles are in circulation in Germany, and latest data show they are still in demand — they made up 40.5 percent of vehicles sold in July — after suffering a steep fall in popularity.


Volkswagen Taos to use updated EA211 engine

                HERNDON: Volkswagen announced that the Taos compact SUV will feature a new version of the EA211 turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

Making 158hp and 184 pound-feet of torque, the new engine increases in size from 1.4 to 1.5 liters and offers a number of high-tech features designed to produce outstanding fuel economy.

It features Volkswagen’s modified version of the Miller cycle, where the intake valves are closed early in the induction stroke to help with fuel economy. For a turbocharged engine, it has a very high compression ratio of up to 11.5 to one.

The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission in the front-wheel-drive model, with a Sport mode. AWD models get a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.

“While electric vehicles are stealing the headlines these days, we are continuing to make great strides with technology on our internal combustion engines,” said Johan de Nysschen, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen Group of America.

“The new 1.5-liter engine in the Taos uses the latest advances in gasoline-engine design to bring outstanding fuel economy to the compact SUV segment. The Taos will provide a further proof point for the ability of the Volkswagen North American Region to deliver the right products for our market requirements.”

The Taos is expected to go on sale in the summer of 2021 in both front- and all-wheel-drive forms. The vehicle is positioned in the largest US vehicle segment, the compact SUV market, where 4 million vehicles were sold in 2019—around 24% of the market.

It will slot into the VW compact SUV lineup below both the Tiguan and the all-electric ID.4 SUV.


Ford targets emerging markets with frugal India engineering

                UDAIPUR: Ford Motor Co plans to use the low-cost techniques it learned in India to develop compact models for other emerging markets, executives said, copying a strategy used by the Asian rivals that outsell it in the world's fifth largest auto market.

The US automaker has struggled to compete in India, a market where small, inexpensive yet powerful cars are popular and which is dominated by carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd  and Hyundai Motor Co.

Last fiscal year, Ford sold just 75,000 cars - a figure dwarfed by top selling brand Maruti Suzuki - and its 3 percent share of the overall passenger vehicle market is one of the smallest among foreign automakers.

Ford aims to expand its market share by launching its first India-specific small car, the Figo Aspire, on Wednesday. The car's powerful and fuel-efficient engine will also be fitted into other vehicles Ford plans to export to Africa and Southeast Asia, executives say.

"We are being challenged to find engineering solutions at lower costs than we have traditionally been able to do," John Lonsdale, head of Ford's B-car program in Asia Pacific, told Reuters in a recent interview in the western city of Udaipur.

"This market, probably even more than Brazil, is demanding cost strategies and cost structures that are lower than anywhere else," he said.

B-cars, loosely defined as compact cars, are key to the growth of automakers like Ford in India and beyond: global sales of such cars are expected to rise by more than a third to 11.4 million by 2020, according to analysts at IHS Automotive.

India is expected to become the world's third largest market by 2020, when sales of B-cars are expected to double to around 1.73 million, IHS Automotive added.

Ford did not say how much the Aspire would cost ahead of its launch, but executives said that 80 percent of the car had been made locally to keep the price low.

Analysts, however, said that despite selling cars in India for more than two decades, Ford was likely to face an uphill battle against its more established Asian rivals in the compact car segment.

"Ford is following a tried and tested approach... but it is late in implementing it," said Puneet Gupta, senior associate at IHS.


Rear-wheel drive BMW iX3 to roll out in 2020, with 440km range

                MUNICH: BMW has announced that the all-electric iX3 will go into series production in 2020, promising a range of 440km.

It will be the company's first purely electric Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), employing fifth-generation eDrive technology. The i4 and iNEXT would exploit such tech from 2021.

BMW will still continue to offer the X3 with conventional petrol and diesel engines as well as a plug-in hybrid to meet different market requirements around the world.

 The Concept iX3.

Both the drive system and the high-voltage battery unit featuring pioneering battery cell technology have been completely redeveloped in the iX3.

The rear-wheel drive iX3 would be produced in Shenyang, China, for global markets through BMW's joint venture company BMW Brilliance Automotive.

The advanced eDrive technology comprises a drive unit in which electric motor, system electronics and transmission are brought together into a central housing. As a result, the required installation space of the drive technology and its weight are considerably reduced.

The ratio between motor output and weight of the drive system improves around 30 percent compared to the previous generation. BMW also claimed energy density in the iX3 is around 20 percent higher.

The electric motor featured in the iX3 delivers a maximum power output of 210 kW/286hp (preliminary). The torque of 400Nm allows for high initial acceleration and keeps a high level even at the upper motor speeds..

The construction method eliminates the need for rare earth materials. BMW engineers were able to reduce the use of cobalt in the battery by two thirds.

The battery cells are grouped into modules at specialised BMW production locations and finally assembled as high-voltage battery packs aligned to each model. The high-voltage battery unit in the iX3 is installed in an extremely flat position in the vehicle floor. As a result of this arrangement, there is no loss of space for passengers and the luggage compartment compared to the conventionally powered versions of the BMW X3.

Within its segment, the BMW iX3 boasts not only a unique low power consumption of less than 20 kWh/100km accordingly to the WLTP test cycle, but also stands for a novel ratio between battery size and range.

Because of the favourable efficiency rating of the drive components and the high energy density of the high-voltage battery unit, the iX3 achieves a range that is only possible for common electric vehicles with larger and thus heavier batteries.

In addition, BMW said the high-voltage battery can be reused as a stationary battery pack once its utility as a car battery ends.


Police vow to check 'mat lajak' menace

                PETALING JAYA: There will be continuous monitoring throughout the country to keep mat lajak off the road, says the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department.

Explaining about the dangers of the activity, department director Comm Datuk Mat Kasim Karim said: “Modifications made to these bicycles are outrageous. These bikes should not be on the road as they do not follow the specifications.”

He was referring to “mosquito bikes” which have been modified by their owners so that they could be used to race on the road. The riders are known colloquially as mat lajak.

Their bicycles are excessively modified to allow riders to go faster and perform Superman-style stunts. The brakes are usually removed to eliminate excess friction and weight.

Mat lajak has once again come under public scrutiny following last week’s High Court sentencing of a female clerk to six years’ jail for reckless driving that led to the 2017 death of eight boys riding modified bicycles in the wee hours of the morning.

It led to a firestorm of views with many Malaysians questioning why young cyclists should be out on the road on modified bicycles.

Comm Mat Kasim, when contacted, said action would be taken against those who break the rules.

However, he advised parents to be more involved in their children’s activities.

“Parents have a role to play; so does the local community. We don’t want the same tragedy to happen again,” he said in reference to the deaths of the eight underage youths riding mosquito bikes.

Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department principal assistant director Supt Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin said 156 mat lajak were arrested in 2019 and 2020.

Over 60% of the cases involved children age 12 and below. And most of them were caught in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. All their bikes were confiscated.

No arrests were made last year in view of the movement control order to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Supt Bakri said the activity seemed to have subsided when the authorities began to take action against parents for negligence under the Child Act.

“In 2019, action was taken against six parents for leaving their children unsupervised,” he said.

He said many of the videos of mat lajak that had been circulated of late were old ones.

“However, we will continue to monitor such activities nationwide,” he added.


Honda asks parts suppliers to reduce carbon emissions, Nikkei reports

                TOKYO: Honda Moto has asked its main parts suppliers to reduce carbon emissions annually by 4% versus 2019 levels, the Nikkei daily reported on Tuesday.

The Japanese carmaker aims to start implementing the targets in fiscal 2025, which begins in April 2025, the report said.

Honda's move comes after Toyota, another Japanese carmaker, in June said it had asked its parts suppliers to reduce carbon emissions.

A Honda spokesman said the company was working to achieve carbon neutrality, including with suppliers, and had requested them to reduce carbon emissions.

But the spokesman declined to say whether Honda had requested annual carbon emissions cuts of 4% versus 2019 as reported by the Nikkei, adding it was not information the firm had released.


Damon Hill hails Moss as F1 'great' despite lack of world title

                LONDON: Damon Hill said that Stirling Moss ranks among Formula One's greatest-ever drivers even though he never won the world championship title.

Moss died on Sunday aged 90 following a long illness and tributes have poured in from around the F1 world.

The British racer was regarded as the finest driver of his era by no lesser an authority than Juan Manuel Fangio.

Fangio pipped Moss to the F1 crown three times between 1955 and 1957 and won five world titles.

England's Hill, who won the F1 crown in 1996, is also adamant Moss deserves to be placed in that hallowed company.

"He's right up there with the great names. He's up there with (Jim) Clark and with Fangio and with (Jackie) Stewart and (Lewis) Hamilton and Niki Lauda and people like that," Hill told the BBC on Monday.

"I don't think anybody regarded him as anything less than one of the greats."

Moss was runner-up in the world title race four times and finished third on three occasions in a career during which he won 16 Grand Prix races.

In an age when racing drivers competed in several different disciplines alongside F1, Moss won a total of 212 of the 529 races he entered in his career.

Hill, whose father Graham raced against Moss during the late 1950s and early 1960s, admitted Moss' inability to be crowned world champion may have rankled but added it does not affect his standing.

"I'm sure it was a disappointment to him but he was so stoic, he was brought up to believe in taking it on the chin and I think he very much covered that up," he said.

"But as far as every driver who knows anything about the sport and all the people who follow motorsport is concerned, and the British public, we regarded him as a great champion.

"Everyone regarded him as 'the man' frankly, he was the forerunner and one of the biggest names in the sport."


Selangor mentri besar visits Toyota plant

                SHAH ALAM: Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari recently paid a visit to the Toyota car assembly plant at Bukit Raja Industrial Estate, which assembles the Toyota Yaris and Toyota Vios.

He was taken on a tour of the facility by the top management of UMW Toyota Motor and its wholly-owned subsidiary Assembly Services Sdn Bhd (ASSB).

At various areas such as the motorcycle parking section, staff locker rooms and canteen, the changes made to meet social distancing requirements were highlighted to the mentri besar.

In accordance with the SOPs, body temperature checks are conducted daily, hand sanitisation and use of face masks are made part of the new normal.

In the canteen, the seating has been rearranged to provide distancing and the menu now consists of pre-packed food.

Besides staggering working times, new procedures aimed at minimizing interaction so as to reduce the risks of coronavirus spread have been put in place.

ASSB has also adopted measures from Toyota plants in other countries in response to the pandemic.

One example was the installation of an additional partition at the Door Assembly Process.

While at the plant, Amirudin also visited Toyota Boshoku UMW Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture between Toyota Boshoku and UMW Toyota Motor which makes seat sets, door trims, headlinings, package trays for use in many models assembled locally.

As it has suitable equipment, Toyota Boshoku UMW set up production lines to produce Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) which is required by medical staff treating COVID-19 patients.

Up to more than 10,000 PPE items consisting of Boot Covers, Head Covers and Gowns were provided in support to the Ministry of Health for distribution to hospitals around the country.

A small ceremony was held for ASSB and Toyota Boshoku UMW to hand over PPE kits to Amirudin as a gesture of goodwill to Selangor.

The kits consisted of 100 pieces each of gowns, head covers and boot covers.

“We are grateful to the Selangor state government for its approval and guidance which enabled ASSB to resume operations after a lengthy shutdown due to the Movement Control Order earlier. Our plant has implemented all the necessary requirements of the Standard Operating Procedures and additionally, we have also adopted some best practices developed by Toyota factories in other countries,” said Ravindran K., president of UMW Toyota Motor.

“Toyota Motor Corporation is also very serious about providing safe and healthy conditions for all employees. As a member of the global Toyota family, ASSB can therefore draw on healthcare advice and best practices from TMC regarding additional measures that can be taken here in Selangor,” added Akio Takeyama, deputy chairman of UMW Toyota Motor.


Millennials could end up being a boon to US auto market

                PHOENIX: It turns out millennials don’t hate driving, after all.

As the generation born between 1981 and 1996 begin to reach their family formation years, they are getting licensed to drive at the highest rate in 40 years, an analyst at Benchmark Co. said in a report Monday.

Licensed drivers in the US reached a record 227.5 million in 2018, and the portion of the population that’s driving has risen every year since 2014, the report said.

That’s good news for automakers that have fretted over young Americans spurning the right-of-passage of getting a driver’s licence at age 16.

Millennials have simply delayed that step, but are now beginning to get them in numbers equal to or higher than their car-loving baby boomer parents. At 84 million strong, they now outnumber boomers, with about 20% more births per year.

"The impact on the auto sector from the millennial generation could be as great as the impression the baby boomers had on the industry in the 1980s,” Mike Ward, Benchmark’s auto analyst, wrote in the report.

"Over the last five years, there were 15.4 million new drivers in the US, the biggest comparable increase since the 1974-78 period.”

The first millennials reached 35 in 2016, towards the beginning of the auto industry’s record five consecutive years of at least 17 million US vehicle sales. Traditionally, licence rates begin to peak when people reach their mid-30s and millennials are no different. They are having babies, buying SUVs and moving to the suburbs.

"We believe underlying demographics support normal demand of 16.5-17 million units annually over the next 5-10 years,” Ward wrote.

Licensed drivers will grow by 12.5 million people in the US over the next five years, Benchmark forecast. By 2025, there will likely be a record 245 million licensed drivers in the US. That could result in an extra 3 million vehicle sales a year.


Volvo and Autoliv pair up in autonomous venture

STOCKHOLM: The planned new company by Volvo Cars and Autoliv will have its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an initial workforce taken from both companies of around 200, increasing to over 600 in the medium term. The company is expected to start operations in the beginning of 2017.The joint venture will create a new entrant in the growing global market for autonomous driving software systems. It marks the first time a leading premium car maker has joined forces with a tier one supplier to develop new ADAS and AD technologies.The new company, which has yet to be named, will develop advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous drive (AD) systems for use in Volvo cars and for sale exclusively by Autoliv to all car makers globally, with revenues shared by both companies.The joint venture will bring together two global leaders in automotive safety, underlining the contribution ADAS and AD can make to road safety and speeding the development and introduction of fully autonomous cars.Volvo Cars has an established reputation for making some of the world’s safest cars, having invented the three point safety belt and consistently developed and introduced world leading active and passive safety systems. It has a medium term vision that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020.Autoliv is the world’s leading supplier of safety systems to car makers worldwide and has led the way in the development and introduction of active and passive safety technologies to the world’s car makers for more than 60 years.Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said: “By combining our know how and resources we will create a world leader in AD software development. This means we can introduce this exciting technology to our customers faster.”Jan Carlson, chairman, chief executive and president of Autoliv, said: “There are no two companies that can claim to have done more for automotive safety worldwide than Autoliv and Volvo. This new company is a recognition of the fact that autonomous driving is the next step to transform road safety.”Both Autoliv and Volvo Cars will licence and transfer the intellectual property for their ADAS systems to the joint venture. From this base the company will develop new ADAS technologies and AD systems. It expects to have its first ADAS products available for sale by 2019 with AD technologies available by 2021.Autoliv will be the exclusive supplier and distribution channel for all the new company’s products towards third parties, except Volvo Cars which will source directly from the new company. Its management will comprise of representatives from Autoliv and Volvo Cars.Dennis Nobelius, managing director of Volvo Switzerland and formerly vice president vehicle line 90 at Volvo Cars, will be the chief executive of the new joint venture.The non-binding letter of intent is subject to further negotiations and the parties reaching a final definitive agreement, and there is no guarantee that any definitive agreement will be reached or that the forming of the joint venture contemplated by the non-binding letter of intent will occur.


Tesla's Musk hopes to make first cars at Berlin plant in October

Musk and Laschet sharing a  light moment at the site of the Berlin battery plant today. — dpa

BERLIN: Tesla hopes to make the first cars at its "Gigafactory" in Gruenheide, near here, in October or soon afterwards, chief executive Elon Musk said today.

Tesla has pushed back the expected opening of the gigafactory to late 2021, blaming German bureaucratic hurdles. The plant has also faced local public resistance due to environmental concerns.

"We're looking forward to hopefully getting the approval to make the first cars maybe in October if we are fortunate," Musk said on a visit to the plant with Armin Laschet, Germany's conservative candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor.

Yet the environmental agency in Brandenburg has yet to give final approval, meaning a further delay cannot be ruled out, even until 2022.

Laschet, whose personal approval ratings have dropped ahead of a Sept 26 federal election after he was seen laughing on a visit to a flood-stricken town, said Germany needed to cut red tape.

"Sometimes one has the impression that inventing something new is technologically easier than dismantling bureaucracy in Germany," he told reporters, standing side-by-side with Musk.

Asked if he had any tips for Laschet to help energise his election campaign, Musk replied: "We're adding energy right now. This plant's all about energy, green energy that's sustainable."

"Hopefully ... this factory here can serve as an inspiration to people in Germany and throughout Europe for excitement about the future," Musk added.

The CEO called for a periodic review of regulations at local, state, and federal level in Germany, and at EU level, to determine if they are a net benefit.

With ever-more rules, he warned, "eventually people will not be able to do anything at all."

"It cannot always be about problems every day. Do you want to wake up every morning and everything's just a problem? Musk asked. "(I want) people to be inspired about the future, and don't forget to have children - that's important."

The entrepreneur's girlfriend, pop singer Grimes, last year gave birth to the couple's son who they named X AE A-XII.


EV charger makers brace for slowdown as new Made In America rules kick in

                SAN FRANCISCO: Manufacturers and operators of electric vehicle chargers in the United States are bracing for a slowdown in production and deployment as they scramble to comply with "Made in America" terms of a US$7.5 billion federal program meant to accelerate the industry.

Long-awaited rules laid out by the White House last month are part of President Joe Biden's effort to build an electric-friendly highway system by 2030, tackling climate change and creating local jobs.

Requirements to immediately start assembling the chargers at US factories and to use US-made iron or steel enclosures have caught many in the EV charging industry off guard, according to company executives and industry experts.

The biggest makers and network operators of EV charging stations include Tesla Inc , ChargePoint Holdings Inc, EVgo Inc and Electrify America.

Companies and some state officials who will manage the federal funds are warning that the country currently lacks the domestic production capacity - particularly on high-speed chargers - and that strict enforcement will slow the rollout, drive up costs and possibly hurt the industry Biden seeks to nurture.

"Everyone was hoping that there would be a waiver on the Buy America and Made in America," said Aatish Patel, co-founder of XCharge North America, which imports chargers from its manufacturing plant in Beijing. "That throws a wrench in a lot of people's plans."

A requirement to source 55% of the cost of components from the United States was deferred until mid-2024, but executives expected deferrals in other terms as well.

Patel said it typically takes 12-18 months to move production from another country, adding that XCharge, one of the largest sellers of EV fast chargers in the European Union, was accelerating setting up a US facility to comply with the rules, which could push costs up by about 25-30%.

About two-thirds of the federal plan funding will go to states while applicants such as cities, counties and Native American tribes can compete for the rest.

In Arizona, the state's Department of Transportation is leading efforts to build charging stations, and expects US$76.5 million in federal charging funds over the next five years.

"Buy America is likely to be another constraint in terms of how fast we can get the stations out," said Thor Anderson, a project manager at the Arizona Department of Transportation.

"Everybody is going to be looking to install new charging stations at once so that's going to put a lot of pressure on the manufacturing of chargers."

But the federal government said it expects there will be enough chargers to meet the "limited" initial demand even as the program ramps up.

Tesla's edge

Fast chargers can add hundreds of miles of driving range in an hour or less. That compares with the five hours or so it takes the less-expensive Level 2 chargers to top up a vehicle.

There are about 30,000 fast-charging machines around the nation, of which about 60% are made and operated by the industry's leading EV maker, Tesla.

The particularly powerful charger models can cost more than US$100,000 (RM448,000).

Tesla makes them at its factory in Buffalo, New York, meeting the requirements for final assembly. The stakes are higher for other companies that are yet to set up their manufacturing in the US and depend on the federal program for much of their revenue.

At the behest of the US government, Tesla has started to open its charging stations to non-Tesla cars, but it is not clear whether it will bid for federal funds. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

The first, US$1.25 billion round of the Biden buildout is focused squarely on the highway fast chargers, with later rounds including slower chargers for overnight charging, for instance.

Frustrating speed bump

EVgo Inc, a charging network operator with more than 850 fast-charging locations, said there is a process to individually request for a deferral of the "Made in America" rules but it is unsure if the government will allow that. Its South Korean charger manufacturer, SK Signet Inc, is planning to open a Texas factory to produce up to 10,000 direct-current fast chargers annually by 2026.

But EVgo chief commercial officer Jonathan Levy said there is risk that 2023 projects could wait while the supply chain catches up, and it is difficult to plan.

"You have this uncertainty. Am I going to get that waiver? Do I need to hold off? What does it look like?"

Shares of EVgo jumped nearly 10% on Feb. 15, when the U.S. government announced the new rules for chargers. Since then, they have lost about a quarter of their value.

Rivals ChargePoint, Wallbox, Blink Charging Co and Tritium have dropped about 30% over the same period compared with a drop of near 5% in the S&P 500.

Elliot Johnson, chief investment officer at Evolve ETFs, which manages over US$4 billion in assets, including investments in EVgo and Tesla, said the new rules were frustrating but only speed bumps.

"It only makes those who are successful more valuable," he said.


Audi reveals new Captain America: Civil War trailer

                INGOLSTADT: Audi is proud of its collaboration with Marvel Entertainment moving closer to the May 6 movie release of Captain America: Civil War, which will feature the German marque's latest Audi R8 V10 plus Coupe, SQ7, A4 and A7 Sportback.

The collaboration has almost reached a full decade and the brand with the four rings reiterates its commitment to one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises (Marvel) and its passionate fans.

Although the world premier of the movie is going to be in Los Angeles, the film's directors, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, have released a 30-second digital video called "The Chase," which happens to feature the company's soon to debut SQ7 driven by Captain America (played by Chris Evans).

However, Cap's current adversary, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) finds himself once again behind the wheel of the all-new Audi R8 V10 plus Coupe supercar.

Also, making its Hollywood debut is the Audi prologue show car as the model of choice for Chadwick Boseman’s character, Black Panther/T’Challa, while Emily VanCamp as Agent 13 sports the all-new Audi A4 and Zemo, played by Daniel Brühl, drives the A7 Sportback.

“Even as the mighty Avengers break into Civil War, their affinity for best-in class, high performance and state of the art technology in their vehicles ties them together. Audi is excited to be a mainstay for the Marvel franchise and to support their cast of Super Heroes with a fleet of superior Audi vehicles,” said Audi of America director of marketing Loren Angelo.


Volvo believes new generation of diesel engines could be the last

                GOTHENBURG: Volvo's latest generation of diesel engines could be its last as the cost of reducing emissions of nitrogen oxide is becoming too much, chief executive Hakan Samuelsson was quoted as saying today.

"From today's perspective, we will not develop any more new generation diesel engines," Samuelsson told German's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview.

However, a Volvo Cars spokesman said today Samuelsson had been discussing options rather than a firm plan to stop the further development of diesel engines.

Samuelsson later said in a statement emailed to Reuters he believed diesel would still play a crucial role in the next few years in helping the company meet targets to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, being more fuel-efficient than petrol engines.

"We have just launched a brand new generation of petrol and diesel engines, highlighting our commitment to this technology. As a result, a decision on the development of a new generation of diesel engines is not required," he said.

In the FAZ interview, Samuelsson said Volvo would continue improving the current range, first introduced in 2013, to meet future emissions standards, with production likely to go on until about 2023.

And until 2020 he said diesel would be needed to help meet carbon dioxide emission limits set by the European Union, but after that other regulations would come into play, with the costs of making engines compliant with ever higher anti-pollution standards meaning it would no longer be worth it.

Instead, Volvo will invest in the electric and hybrid cars, with its first pure electric model due on the market in 2019.

"We have to recognise that Tesla has managed to offer such a car for which people are lining up. In this area, there should also be space for us, with high quality and attractive design," Samuelsson said.

Samuelsson has previously said that tighter emissions rules will push up the price of diesel-engined cars to the point where plug-in hybrids will become an attractive alternative.

The average carbon dioxide emissions limit for European carmakers' fleets will need to fall from 130 grams per kilometre to 95 grams in 2021, forcing them to invest more in exhaust emissions technology.

Diesel cars account for over 50 percent of all new registrations in Europe, making the region by far the world's biggest diesel market. Volvo, owned by China's Geely, sells 90 percent of its XC 90 offroaders in Europe with diesel engines.

The scandal over Volkwagen's cheating of US environmental tests to mask emissions of nitrogen oxides, which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease, means manufacturers are facing intense scrutiny over the true level of pollutants being emitted by their cars.

Goldman Sachs believes a regulatory crackdown could add 300 euros (RM1,447) per engine to diesel costs that are already some 1,300 euros above their petrol-powered equivalents, as carmakers race to bring real NOx emissions closer to their much lower test-bench scores.


Castrol introduces oil change in 90 secs – VIDEO

 The Vulcan.

LONDON: Can you do an oil change in 90 secs? Yes, you can – with Castrol Nexcel.

Castrol has just rolled out the new technology that it says marks the most significant oil change innovation in automotive history.

The Nexcel oil cell, an easy-to-change unit containing both engine oil and filter, is said to deliver superior engine performance and improved environmental sustainability.

The new technology allows oil to be changed in around 90 seconds, more than 13 times faster than a conventional oil change of 20 minutes

The Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar will be the first vehicle featuring Nexcel technology. Road cars fitted with Nexcel are expected to go into production within five years.

Testing and installing Nexcel on a low volume car like the Vulcan allowed the oil cell’s development to be accelerated, meaning it will be ready for mass market production much sooner. Castrol is currently in discussions with several other vehicle manufacturers.

“We believe this is the biggest leap forward in oil change technology in the history of the combustion engine," said Castrol CEO Paul Waterman.

"Castrol’s engineers are leaders in their field and have come up with a really innovative piece of technology. It’s the result of almost three years’ work but as soon as people see the benefits in emissions and servicing as well as the substantial environmental benefits, they will ask why it hasn’t been done before.”

The Nexcel system has been tested on a range of engines from very small city cars to high-powered racing engines in the most extreme of conditions. It functioned smoothly even under severe braking of up to 1.8G, the equivalent of a vehicle travelling at 100kph stopping dead in 1.6 seconds. Additionally, the system oil flow has been tested up to 600 litres a minute –10 to 20 times greater than seen in a conventional passenger car engine.

The system offers manufacturers and motorists three primary benefits in performance, servicing and sustainability:

> Castrol has demonstrated that Nexcel delivers a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on modern engines. Moreover the technology paves the way for a new generation of precision-engineered engine oils delivering further engine performance & CO2 benefits.

> Nexcel makes the oil change super quick and clean for workshops, allowing them to offer more flexible and convenient service options to customers.

> Oil cells are collected after use, avoiding wastage of used oil. This oil can then be re-refined back into high quality lubricants. If Nexcel were fitted onto every car in the world today, it would save more than 200,000 road tankers of virgin oil from being produced, every year.


Renault to set up electric-car hub in France as standalone unit

                PARIS: Renault SA is taking major steps towards creating an electric-vehicle manufacturing hub in northern France in a bid to better compete in Europe’s fast-growing EV market.

The French carmaker is set to announce as early as next week the broad strokes of a plan to combine operations at three existing sites - in Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz - into a separate and fully owned legal entity, according to people familiar with the matter.

This would pave the way for talks with labour representatives on pay and working conditions at the plants, said the people, who asked not to be named because the information isn’t public.

A spokesman for Renault declined to comment.

The EV hub, which could produce as many as 400,000 vehicles, is a key part of chief executive officer Luca de Meo’s strategy to turn around the struggling carmaker and boost output of electric and hybrid vehicles.

The move would also help fulfill a pledge to the French state, Renault’s most powerful shareholder, to preserve jobs and EV technology in France.

Shortly after taking the helm in 2020, de Meo told unions that development of an EV costing less than €20,000 (RM101,000) was crucial for the company.

Its aging Zoe model was the top-selling battery-electric car in Europe last year but risks being overtaken this year by models made by Tesla Inc. and Volkswagen AG.

The CEO has since unveiled the future Megane electric lineup to be made at Douai, while Maubeuge is already churning out battery-powered versions of the Kangoo delivery van.

In January, de Meo flagged a plan to revive the popular Renault 5 as an affordable EV, though he warned that assembling it in France would require getting unions and suppliers on board. The company is already producing its Dacia Spring electric crossover in China and selling it in Europe.

Renault has told investors 2021 will be challenging following a worse-than-expected 8 billion-euro annual net loss last year.

The company is cutting costs and shrinking its workforce in France, while at the same time grappling with production halts due to shortages in semiconductors.

Last year, the carmaker came under intense pressure from President Emmanuel Macron on jobs and the future of the factories in northern France while taking a 5 billion-euro state-backed loan to get through the pandemic.


With F-150 Lightning in Norway, you can ford a fjord in an electric Ford

The F-150 Lightning is going global for the first time with entry into Norway, the world’s most advanced electric vehicle market.

OSLO: Ford Motor Co will launch its popular F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck in Norway, the US automaker said on Thursday, as it hopes to tap into high demand for electric vehicles globally.

The electric version of Ford's longstanding F-150 workhorse has stayed resilient in the US despite a series of price hikes since its launch in 2022.

Although buyers in most European cities - which tend to have narrower roads - prefer compact hatchbacks and smaller crossover SUVs, demand for electric vehicles is strong in Norway; four out of five cars sold there over the last year were battery-powered.

The big pickup may not be ideal for Oslo's streets, but in the countryside, owners could "bring a lot of deer with them to the cabin," said Per Gunnar Berg, managing director, Ford Norway.

Ford, which will sell the pickup through its authorised dealer network in Norway, said deliveries will begin next year.

The launch comes a month after the company said its electric vehicle business unit could lose US$3 billion this year, but remains on track to achieve a pre-tax margin of 8% by late 2026.


BMW 528i M Performance Edition introduced

                CYBERJAYA: BMW Malaysia has announced a limited 528i M Performance Edition, which will go on sale from this weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of the brand.

And aptly enough, only 100 units of the limited edition would be available, each priced at RM363,800.

The limited edition gets a blackened kidney grille and the M Performance Aerodynamics package

The front bumper is adorned with the signature M Performance carbon fibre highlights; in the rear with the M Performance carbon fibre rear spoiler and at the sides with the special carbon fibre side skirt films with the signature M Performance stripes.

Bear in mind that this current F10 5 Series is ageing and will be superseded by the G30 5 Series, which will reportedly make its world debut at the 2017 Detroit auto show. The G30 addresses a key point that the F10 is one of the heaviest in its segment, and the G10 will be better, being lightened for better ride and performance. An obvious way to shed meaningful weight in the car is to use carbon fibre parts as in the 7 Series. At the same time, BMW is testing out the G30-based M5, which is expected to roll out by early 2018.

A well-tested strategy among car makers to give outgoing models a last hurrah is to repackage it and try to clear stock before it goes out of production.