Two-way charging is Chinese EV drivers’ favourite life hack

                HONG KONG: Every morning, as freezing winds blow across his construction site in northern China, Liu Jianhong gathers his workers for a cup of hot tea.

Liu, whose business in Shaanxi province often operates beyond the reach of power grids, plugs a hairdryer-like charger into his hybrid electric car, a sport utility vehicle from Chinese AUTOmaker BYD Co.

The other end of the charger connects to his kettle. A few minutes later, it lets out a whistle and tea time begins.

"With the help of the electric car, we can drink tea whenever and wherever we want. My workers are over the moon,” says Liu, 57, who used to schlep hot water in a too-small thermos from a nearby village each day, forcing his employees to take turns enjoying tea breaks.

Liu’s EV has come to the rescue before, like when he needed to charge a power drill at a newly-built home he hadn’t realised wasn’t connected to a utility.

"If it were not for my car, I would have wasted all the time and energy going there,” he says.As EVs with plugs proliferate, what’s known as "two-way charging” is becoming table stakes in the electric diving experience.

Drivers like Liu are among a growing number of people thinking about their car as not only a cleaner and cheaper way to get around, but also a source of electricity in day-to-day life and during emergencies.

In China, where more than one in five new cars sold this year was electric, more people than ever are experiencing a future in which vehicles double as power banks, and EV makers are pitching their products as "batteries on wheels.”

Since Liu Xiao, 38, started hooking up his camping stove to his hybrid electric car during weekend getaways, he no longer worries about his kid getting too close to an open flame.

The camping enthusiast, who lives in the eastern coastal city of Dalian, used to bring a fuel canister on trips, but he says his EV, made by China’s Li AUTO, provides "a huge advantage over that.”

In summer months, Liu’s family also uses the car to run an electric fan while watching movies on a projector screen.

"It has given us so much fun,” he says.

EV sales are already soaring in China, but the promise of fun - and convenience - could be a helpful boost in markets like the US and Europe, where electric options are still catching up.

About 300 million electric vehicles will need to be on the road globally by 2030 for the world to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century, according to the International Energy Agency.

As of last year, just 16.5 million units had been sold. Adoption everywhere remains limited by range anxiety, a lack of charging infrastructure, and the higher upfront cost of EV models compared to similar gasoline-powered vehicles.

Two-way, or bidirectional, charging can be done by loading an EV with power outlets, known as vehicle-to-load (V2L).

Automakers that include Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors, China’s BYD and South Korea’s Hyundai also offer EVs that power homes and businesses - known as vehicle-to-home charging, or V2H - and even send power back to the grid (vehicle-to-grid charging, or V2G).

Many of China’s popular EV models, including BYD’s Tang DM, Geely Auto’s Zeekr 001 and Li Auto’s L8, come with onboard outlets.

In local commercials for the L8, drivers camp under an open sky while drinking freshly ground coffee thanks to their electric SUV.

In the US, Ford has made backup power a selling point of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck, and in Japan, an island nation prone to typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis, Nissan touts its LEAF electric car as an aid to families exposed to disaster-related power outages.

Ingo Puhl, co-founder of Zurich-based climate finance consultancy South Pole, says he expects two-way charging to start taking off "in many other places.”

The convergence of mobility and power supply is too appealing to resist, he says, especially in locales where utility grids expand slowly or remain unreliable.

Bidirectional charging is more common on larger and more expensive vehicles, such as SUVs or pickup trucks, and V2G charging in particular requires investing in an additional power converter.

Experts are also divided on whether two-way charging accelerates battery degradation, a concern cited by EV leader Tesla, which has taken a backseat in deploying the technology.

"It is a trendy feature,” says Yale Zhang, managing director at consultancy Automotive Foresight Co. in Shanghai.

"No matter the frequency of users turning on the function, automakers need to show that they have it.”

Some 1,900km west of Liu’s Dalian campsite, Lei Li, a resident of Xi’an city, bought a BYD plug-in hybrid in 2016 specifically for bidirectional charging, choosing it over a gas-powered Volkswagen sedan.

"I was stunned by how a car could power electronics,” he says.

As a salesman for camper vans, Lei frequently goes to industry exhibitions, where he uses a projector and a digital billboard, plus a printer to run off brochures.

Accessing electricity at exhibition centres is expensive - sometimes as much as 20% of his total budget - and dragging a power socket across a crowded showroom can be a safety hazard.

So Lei devised a solution: parking his EV next to his booth and using it to power all his devices.

It’s worked out so well that Lei, who recently upgraded his hybrid to a BYD all-electric, "started telling everyone that they should get an electric car.” He says at least 10 of his friends have done so.

Liu, the construction boss in Shaanxi, saw a similar trend: After he withdrew 200,000 yuan (RM130,000) from his savings to buy his BYD hybrid, several neighbours followed suit. But until everyone gets hold of an electric car, Liu is likely to remain their go-to in an emergency. When grid failure caused a 20-hour blackout during a frigid winter night in 2019, he used his car to power the heating at a friend’s house.

"My friend’s parents - both in their 70s - were stressed out when the power was gone,” he says. "I was glad I could protect them from the cold.”


Amid cycling boom, Japan to fine cyclists who unnecessarily ring bell

Cyclists in Japan commit a traffic offence if they ring their bell unnecessarily. — dpa
TOKYO: In Japan, as in many countries, more and more people are hopping on bicycles to avoid crowded public transport during the pandemic.

But woe betide anyone who doesn't follow the rules. As part of strict new traffic regulations, it's now forbidden in Japan to bother other people by unnecessarily ringing the bell on your bike.

The same goes for unnecessary braking or blocking a lane, which will also incur a fine under new rules going into effect on June 30, in measures that will allow police to crack down on bicycle protests and dangerous cylists.

Bicycles have become more and more frequent on the streets of Tokyo and other cities, not known for their safe cycle lanes, during the rise of home delivery services.

Cyclists aged 14 years or older will now be made take a road safety course if they break the rules twice in three years. Those who refuse to take the course will have to pay a fine of up to 50,000 yen (RM1,986).

Last year, police in Japan documented more than 26,000 cases of cyclists behaving in a dangerous manner, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo. Only 328 of these had taken part in the safety course.

In total, there were more than 80,000 traffic accidents involving cyclists in the whole country last year, with 433 deaths.


Why you should walk away from your car when it breaks down

                BERLIN: When your car gives up the ghost on the highway, you might be tempted to wait by its side until the repair crew shows up.

But you're much safer waiting for help away the car, ideally behind a crash barrier.

That's because whenever your car breaks down, or someone else's for that matter, road safety experts say you need to make sure you're not in danger of being hit by your own vehicle if someone crashes into it.

But first: Don't leave your smartphone in the car — you'll need it to contact the breakdown service — and be sure to set up your emergency warning triangle.

If you're on a country road, safety specialists from the Auto Club Europa (ACE) suggest you go at least 100 metres from the car in the opposite direction of travel, meaning you're standing behind the car.

Make that 150 metres if you're on a highway. If there's no guard rail, then the experts suggest putting an even greater distance between you and the car — a cool 200 metres, if you ask the Auto Club, and however far you go, stay a safe distance from the road.

When you're getting out of the car, head out the side facing away from the road, says the ACE. At night or when visibility is poor, turn on your parking lights as well as your hazard warning lights to make sure other drivers can see your stationary vehicle.


Malaysia does not want to host Formula One even if it was given free

                SEPANG: Malaysia would not want to host Formula One after this year's final grand prix there even if it was offered to the country for free, Sepang circuit chief executive Razlan Razali said.

Local organisers have cited declining ticket sales, viewership and tourist numbers for their decision to pull the plug a year early on a race that first appeared on the calendar in 1999.

Razali has also complained in the past about the cost which he said made the government-backed event financially unviable.

In April, he accused former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone of making promoters "look like idiots" with comments about how Formula One had charged high hosting fees without delivering what was paid for.

Speaking to Reuters at the track on Friday, he said he had struggled to convince fans to turn up because the show had not been exciting enough.

"Even if we got the greatest of deals, do it for free for example, what’s the product?" he said.

"I myself am not able to sit in front of the television and watch from lap one until whatever lap (for) two hours. It’s hard to sell this kind of event and to get bums on the seat...and it’s not worth the investment at the moment."

The promoter said attendances and television audiences had been on the decline since 2014, the year the quieter 1.6 litre turbo-hybrid engines were introduced.

Only 46,944 spectators turned up for the race last year, a slight improvement on 2015 but well off the 88,450 who came to watch in 2013.

 File pic of Razlan (left) with Malaysian GP2 driver Nabil Jefri having a discussion.

Grandstand tickets for the race, which comes two weeks after neighbouring Singapore's floodlit spectacular, are still on sale despite being at an 82 percent discount. Razali expected about 80,000 spectators.

Tickets for next month’s MotoGP race, which the track will continue to host, are already sold out.

Razali said the sport's recent change of ownership and management, with Liberty Media buying Formula One and replacing Ecclestone with Chase Carey, was not enough.

"I turn it back to the media -- what changes have you seen that makes it any more exciting than in the Bernie days, in terms of the sport, in terms of racing, what have they done?," he asked.

"Fans engagement, yes. What they have done off-track...it’s great but what triggers for someone to buy tickets to come to the circuit? It’s the product, the sport, not because of the activation they have done."

Razali declined to say whether Liberty had offered to cut the race-hosting fees but suggested the U.S.-owned rights holders had not pushed for a deal.

"They did not work hard enough for us to change our minds," he stated.

There was no immediate official comment from Formula One Management.

The track action this season has changed, however, with champions Mercedes facing their biggest external challenge in years and fans enjoying the spectacle of faster cars on fatter tyres.

Mercedes, sponsored by Malaysian state-owned oil giant Petronas, have dominated since 2014 but Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel led the championship until this month.

With six races remaining, Britain's Lewis Hamilton is 28 points clear for Mercedes but failed to finish in Malaysia last season.

Attendances have been up at some other circuits this year compared to 2016.

While the engine rules are set in stone until 2020, Carey and his management team have been studying a longer-term overhaul and have already moved to open the sport up to fans.

Razali said Malaysia, whose circuit is popular with drivers, would be happy to come back if Formula One delivered a show that would bring in the fans and keep them on the edge of their seats.

"The easiest part is to come back and negotiate with Liberty Media for F1 to come back," he said. "The hard part still is whether the sport has changed for the better..."


An idea for self-driving cars that's smiles ahead

The self-driving car that smiles at pedestrians
GOTHENBURG: The Japanese believe that almost all objects contain a spirit and it is why all Japanese cars -- whether supermini or super coupé - are designed so that they appear to have a ‘happy' face.

But Semcon and research institute Viktoria Swedish ICT are taking things much, much further. Together they have developed a Smiling Car concept that can quite literally turn its frown upside-down whenever it sees a pedestrian.

On the surface, such an idea may seem silly, but don't laugh. As cars become more autonomous, carmakers are going to have to go to greater lengths to humanise many of their systems.

"A lot of the discussions regarding self-driving cars are about the car's technology. But how these vehicles will interact with unprotected road users is just as important," said Karin Eklund, who is responsible for user experience at Semcon.

This is particularly true in situations such as at junctions and crossroads where a human driver would physically signal his or her intent to pedestrians, cyclists or other road users. According to Semcon's own research, eight out of 10 pedestrians say they always make eye contact with a driver when crossing the road.

"The strength behind The Smiling Car is that we allow people to communicate in the way they are used to, instead of taking an unnecessary detour via technology," explains Eklund.

The smile is universal - if someone's smiling at you, they've seen you. And, as such it's a very simple and potentially ingenious as well as amusing solution to a future obstacle.

Semcon is a technology and parts supplier to the automotive industry, but carmakers themselves are working seriously on this issue. For example, Nissan has anthropologist Melissa Cefkin on its autonomous technology team. She is trying to understand the human elements of driving and recreate them as part of self-driving car technology.

"Adding this autonomous dimension to [cars] will bring around further changes in society, all the way down to the everyday way in which we interact and behave on the road," said Cefkin. "We're trying to distil out of our work some key lessons for what an autonomous vehicle will need to know ."

Semcon's smiling car is in its early stages. The company now hopes to add other sensors that can track a person's eye or head movement sufficiently to know if that person has seen the car and is responding in kind.

"Today there are clear agreements on how cars must indicate when changing lanes. We now need to develop a common language for how self-driving cars will interact with pedestrians," said Semcon CEO Markus Granlund.


Woman trucker wins 2015 Volvo Fuelwatch contest

                HUA HIN: It's always refreshing to see the opposite sex triumph in a male-dominated vocation. It also makes for good media fodder.

So when New Zealander Louise Marriott turned out to be Asia Pacific’s most fuel-efficient driver in the Volvo Trucks Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Challenge 2015 , Volvo Trucks went to town with it, declaring her as the first woman champion in the contest.

To win the title of the most fuel-efficient driver in the on-road category this year, Marriott clocked 17.5% less fuel compared to the highest amount of fuel burnt at the contest.

In the off-road category, Ravi Poleboina of India clinched the top prize with a notable achievement of 12.5% less fuel consumption relative to fellow contestants.

“While our industry is often thought of as being male dominated, the Fuelwatch Challenge has been a great platform for us to show that all drivers, regardless of gender, can perform at the highest level while being fuel-efficient," said Marriott, who was one of four women who took part in the annual contest. She was also the first representative from New Zealand to attain the top prize at the Fuelwatch Challenge.

Malaysian participant Nor Rahmat Abd Talib, a driver with logistics company Prifaria Sdn Bhd, was one of the 17 top drivers who took part in the finals. Although he did not bring back the trophy, he was adjudged the winner in Malaysia.

 Poleboina emerged the victor in the off-road category.

Volvo Trucks saw the finals in the Volvo Trucks Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Challenge 2015, held in Hua Hin, Thailand from Sept 15-18.

At the event, participants attended a one-day training session on fuel-efficient driving techniques and technical expertise, followed by the Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Challenge grand finals on the second day.


Aston Martin's Vantage Roadster has ultra-fast retracting roof

                LONDON: Two years after the Vantage Coupe launched, Aston Martin has announced the drop-top version of the model complete with the fastest automatically retracting fabric roof on the market.

Like its roofed counterpart, the drop-top version of the model is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that's paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

With a top speed just a hair slower than the Vantage Coupe, the Roadster can still reach an impressive 305kph when the roof is up. From a standstill, the model can run up to 100kph in 3.7 seconds.

The fabric roof can be lowered in a record-setting 6.7 seconds at speeds up to 50kph and raised in 6.8 seconds.

Whether taking the top down or not, various components like the powertrain, chassis, and even body panels have been specially tuned to give drivers a dynamic, sporty experience similar to the Coupe, an experience that is further enhanced by the inclusion of features like Adaptive Damping, Dynamic Stability Control, and Dynamic Torque Vectoring, among other system technologies.

The Vantage Roadster comes with a starting price of US$161,000 (RM667,000). Deliveries are set to begin during the second quarter of this year.


Price hike of up to 4.7% for BMW and MINIs, feature enhancements announced

                KUALA LUMPUR: BMW Group Malaysia has announced a price hike for both BMW and MINI cars from 2023, but it hopes to soften the impact by offering feature enhancements to the models.

It said global inflation and rising manufacturing costs has forced the company to raise prices.

The change, based on volume-weighted average pricing, would see an increase of between 4.7% and 2.6% with immediate effect.

BMW and MINI Service and Repair Inclusive (BSRI/MSRI) package prices will also be updated effective Jan 1, contributing to the price increase overview (see table below).

As to what features are upgraded, BMW said smartphone integration (featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), along with the Connected Package Professional will both come as standard for all BMW models in 2023, increasing connectivity between users and their vehicles.

This enables convenient access to familiar functions and applications in all BMW models. The climate menu will also remain accessible to users without having to leave the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto screen.

Exclusive to models with BMW iDrive 8, Apple Maps will be adapted and added into the instrument cluster and head up display.

Remote services will enable owners to remotely control the car by locking their doors, activating the headlight flash or horn and starting the ventilation system using the My BMW App.

Owners will also enjoy a Last State Call (LSC), which provides relevant information about the status of the car, such as the fuel level, mileage, status of doors and windows, Check Control Messages, pending services, among others.

Note that the smartphone integration and remote services features are available on lifetime offer, as long as technical prerequisites are met.

From 2023, owners will also enjoy three years runtime of BMW Maps Connected Charging and Connected Navigation (market availability varies between sub-features and differs between models). Connected Charging guarantees to stay mobile with the BMW EV – whether at home, on the road or at public charging stations.

In addition to providing information to owners via the My BMW App, the Charging Management feature also highlights past and ongoing charging sessions which enables owners to remotely control and check ongoing or upcoming charging sessions.

The app will also notify users should there be any specific charging events.

The cloud-based navigation system in BMW Maps will come with a more intuitive address input and a rich experience in the Point of Interest segment.

Owners will also be able to send their destinations from the My BMW App to their vehicles seamlessly using the Send-to-Car feature.

The Last Mile feature will assist in navigating towards their destination in the event that parking is not available nearby and they are forced to go on foot.


The 12-cylinder combustion engine is not dead yet

                BERLIN: Car chiefs like Adrian Hallmark, Mate Rimac or Stephan Winkelmann talk ruefully these days about their brands' engine portfolios.

On the one hand, the bosses of Bentley, Bugatti or Lamborghini can hail cars with unrivalled performance, yet they must prepare their customers to say goodbye to the past masters of internal combustion like the V12.

The trio of brands stands not only for ostentation and splendour but, above all, for bountiful horsepower.

They also stand for an engine concept that will no longer exist after 2035 when new cars with any kind of combustion engine are banned from sale in Europe.

These performance machines all rely on complex, large-capacity engines with lots of cylinders. With electrification gaining momentum, sophisticated motors of this kind are dinosaurs destined to become exotic if not extinct.

"Down-sizing has been a big trend among engine developers for years in order to get consumption and emissions down," said Thomas Schuster from the KÜS expert association.

The trend toward smaller engines is easy to understand. Smaller motors with fewer cylinders use less fuel. Friction losses are also lower. A downsized engine is also naturally also lighter, so that less mass has to be moved.

What is lost in terms of power can be compensated for, at least in part, by bolting on a turbo or supercharger or by adding an electric motor.

With new regulations demanding fewer CO2 emissions, the scope for justifying large engines is also shrinking.

Smaller cars and compacts today usually make do with three cylinders, a configuration that would have been considered too feeble even 20 years ago,

Even in the luxury class, six cylinders enjoy top rank and avid tuners like Mercedes in-house performance unit AMG are slowly phasing out the mighty V8.

Over at Bugatti it is the same story: "This is the last time we will put the unique V16 engine in a new model," said company boss Mate Rimac.

He was referring to the 8.0-litre engine. With up to 1,176 kW/1,600 hp on demand, the unit makes its debut in the mighty Bugatti Mistral roadster.

After the 544 kW/740 hp Batur, there will also be no new Bentley model with a six-litre, 12-cylinder engine, said company boss Hallmark.

Lamborghini boss Winkelmann laments too that the Aventador LP 780-4 will mark the end of the high-revving naturally-aspirated V12. Appropriately enough, the super sports car bears the suffix "Ultimae".

These brands are not alone. Currently, Ferrari and Aston Martin also have a V12, as do Rolls Royce and Maybach.

But BMW has already taken the 12-cylinder out of service. And at Mercedes it only powers the ultra-posh Maybach version of the S-Class. Developers and decision-makers do not give the 12-cylinder a long shelf life.

Rolls-Royce, for example, aims to phase out the big combustion engines by 2030 at the latest, offering only electric cars in the style of the Spectre.

The demise of the big engines will have only a limited effect on the global climate but some enthusiasts will be sad to see them go.

Design professor and automotive philosopher Paolo Tumminelli said it was justifiable to speak of engine artform, as engineers seek to create jewel-like power units with perfect balance and refinement.

The more complex the engine, the greater the art involved, said Tumminelli, even if downsizing is good for the environment.

"For our civilisation, the abolition of the multi-cylinder as the ultimate monument of the machine age and a symbol of genius is a tragic loss," said the expert.

Bucking the trend is luxury maker Pagani. The company said that after four years of research into developing an electric car, it decided that producing an EV would not be exciting enough to captivate fans of the marque.

The automotive community has reacted warmly to news that Pagani is sticking to V12 greatness and meanwhile Lamborghini's Stephan Winkelmann is keeping the spark plugs of hope burning too.

A successor to the range-topping model will have a hybridised V12 engine, namely a greener one with an electric motor tacked on.


Spotify's long-awaited in-car system could come out this year

                STOCKHOLM: Spotify is planning to release an in-car music player later this year for about US$100 (RM414), says the Financial Times.

Early last year, rumours started spreading that Spotify could be developing an in-car music device complete with 4G and voice control; however, the company declined to say any more on the matter than just that such system was simply undergoing testing.

On Friday, though, the Financial Times confirmed that the device is coming to the US later this year.

In addition to the voice control and 4G support that previous rumours suggested, the device is also expected to support the ability to preset buttons to particular playlists and connect to your car's sound system via Bluetooth.

While Spotify is allegedly partnering with Flex for the hardware, neither company has commented on the matter, though the former has recently registered with the FCC to sell wireless devices, so it's likely that this rumoured one is the purpose of that registration.

Just last week, the company added Car View with the newest application update further solidifying Spotify's place in the automobile entertainment market alongside Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.


Why choosing the right oil is so vital to car engines

                BERLIN: Nobody wants their car engine to seize up on the road, least of all because that can get expensive — and so you need to use oil, which cleans the motor and protects it from corrosion.

But too little oil or oil that's too old won't have the desired effect and not all oil is good oil. So what should motorists know about it?

"You should check your oil level regularly, ideally once a month," says Soeren Heinze from the car club Auto Club Europa (ACE).

Unless it says otherwise in the vehicle's manual, it's best to carry the check out after it's driven at least 10 to 15 kilometres and five minutes after you've turned off the motor.

But it's not just about checking the level, it's also about the oil itself. "If the oil is cloudy or even black and smells burnt you definitely need to go to a garage, but you also need to do that if you know the last time you changed the oil was a while ago," says Heinze.

As for what oil you use, what's most important is to look at the manufacturer's guidelines, which you can find in the manual and which you can compare with the label on the oil container.

There are mono grade oils which are only used either in summer or winter and multigrade oils which can be used all year round.

The viscosity of the oil, which is determined by its SAE grade, is an important factor in choosing the right oil.

The number before the "W" indicates the low-temperature viscosity: the lower the number, the runnier the oil and the more suitable it is for winter temperatures. A higher number behind the "W" indicates it is thicker at high temperatures and so more suitable for the summer.

To make the choice more difficult, most oil manufacturers offer different price categories. So-called long-life oils supposedly last longer, are usually thinner and as high-lubricity oils ensure significantly lower petrol consumption.

They maintain viscosity at lower temperatures and are usually graded between SAE 0W-30 and SAE 0W-40. The most commonly used is 5W-30, making oil changes necessary every 30,000km or every two years. A heads-up: these oils cannot be mixed with others.

"In general it's very important to keep to the classification that the manufacturer prescribes for your car," warns Heinze. "The wrong one, or mixing them, can cause a lot of damage.

Oil manufacturer Liqui Moly says the same thing. "Lubricant has been a custom-made part for years now," its marketing director Peter Baumann says. "You can't put any lubricant in any vehicle, it's technically impossible or at least very risky."

Oils are usually offered in different price categories, sometimes with the selling point that they can save on petrol. However that can only be tested in the laboratory — there are too many other factors at play on the road.

Baumann says the condition of the vehicle and what it's used for as well as the driver's skills are what are decisive. "A factory-new or newly broken in car behaves quite differently to a car that's already been driven for 20 years. To give a generalised figure would be ridiculous."

What's more important than the oil could be your own foot on the gas pedal: "We can save a lot more petrol by paying attention to our own driving, for example by looking ahead more while we're driving," says Alexander Klein of Germany's federal association of medium-sized mineral oil companies.


BMW says it plans to offer electric X3 SUV and MINI models

                MUNICH: BMW AG said on Friday it will offer all electric versions of its next generation BMW X3 compact sport utility vehicle and electric MINI models, expanding its entries in the emerging electric luxury vehicle market.

BMW confirmed a report earlier Friday by Bloomberg News.

Reuters reported on Sept 9 that top BMW executives were skipping Paris auto show events this week to resolve differences over electric vehicle strategy and chart a new electric product offensive, including a possible electric MINI.

 MINI Clubman JCW at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.

The electric MINI is expected to debut in about three years, company officials said.

BMW faces increasing pressure from German rivals Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG as well as Tesla Motors Inc of the United States, which have outlined aggressive plans to court affluent buyers - and respond to regulators - with new electric vehicles.

BMW moved earlier than its German rivals to field innovative electric cars, launching the BMW i3 battery-powered city car in 2013 with a lightweight body made of carbon fibre instead of steel or aluminum. However, the i3 and the plug-in hybrid i8 have been slow sellers.

 The BMW i8.

Meanwhile, Tesla is aiming for sales of 80,000 or more electric sedans and sport utility vehicles this year, and has said that nearly 400,000 would-be buyers have placed reservations for its Model 3 sedan. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has said he is targeting a July 2017 launch for the Model 3.

Daimler and VW used this week's Paris auto show to promote plans to launch new waves of electric vehicles.

Germany's luxury car champions face a convergence of pressure to embrace electric vehicles from regulatory mandates and from Tesla's success at winning affluent consumers to the idea of premium electric vehicles.

In the United States, California and several other states have adopted escalating quotas for sales of electric vehicles. California's goal is that 15% of vehicles sold in the state in 2025 would be battery-powered. Policymakers in China, the world's largest vehicle market, and Europe are also calling for more electric vehicles.


CarSifu Auto Show 2022 JB: Vehicle bookings shift into high gear

                JOHOR BARU: The CarSifu Auto Show 2022 – the first ever held in the state – is wrapping up today at The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey Johor Baru, having attracted a horde of visitors and prospective buyers in the past four days.

A number of them have made bookings for brand new wheels on display, ranging from combustion-engine vehicles to plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars.

Those who have placed their bookings include Malaysians living in Johor Baru but working in Singapore as well as locals living in Singapore and owning homes here.

Honda, Subaru, Proton, Toyota and Volvo are participating in the auto show organised by Star Media Group that runs from Oct 26-30.

Honda promoted its latest HR-V 1.5-litre SUV (sports utility vehicle) and 1.5-litre City V-Sensing sedan.

Subaru showed off its XV GT Edition, XV 2.0i-P EyeSight and Forrester GT Edition.

Separately, Proton displayed its 1.3-litre Premium S AT Saga compact sedan, 1.5-litre TGDI X50 SUV and 1.5-litre TGDI Premium 2WD X70.

At Toyota’s showcase, there were the 1.8-litre Corolla Cross Hybrid SUV, the newly launched 1.5-litre Veloz seven-seater MPV (multipurpose vehicle), along with the Vios.

Volvo presented its XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, which is Malaysia’s first locally assembled electric vehicle, and V60 plug-in hybrid.


Miros releases graphic but meaningful video on use of 'dummy buckles' to avoid wearing seatbelts

                PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) has come out with a video against the use of uncertified "dummy buckles" for car seatbelt locks through a graphic yet meaningful video.

The dummy buckle is an accessory originally meant as a seatbelt extender.

Last year, Miros director-general Dr Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim was quoted by a Malay daily as saying that the accessory was misused by people who do not want to wear their seatbelts.

With the dummy buckle inserted into a seatbelt buckle, these drivers can silence the intrusive chime of internal car alarms when they are not strapped in.

The 1min 40sec video begins with a scene of a woman crying while accompanying her injured husband on a stretcher being wheeled by two nurses into a hospital emergency room.

A time stamp of 4.30pm appears during the scene.

The scene then flashes back to 4pm and shows the man, unconscious and with his face bloodied, in the driver’s seat of a car with his injured wife trying to revive him after a car crash.

The video then shifts further back in time to 10.28am with the man seen at a car accessory outlet, asking a shop assistant if he could look at a dummy buckle.

However, he pauses for a fleeting moment as a scene of him and his wife in a car accident flashes before his eyes.

The man then looks at his wife lovingly and smiles to himself before deciding against buying the dummy buckle.

The video, produced together with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia and the Asean Road Safety Centre, is accompanied by a narration on the importance of safety.

“Our life is not just about us but whatever we do can alter destiny.

“Stay away from using uncertified car safety belt accessories.

“Don’t allow accidents to teach us the meaning of safety, ” the narrator says as the scene ends at 4.30pm with the couple arriving home safely.


Swiss electric car maker Piëch Automotive hires former VW CEO

                FRANKFURT: Swiss electric car start-up Piëch Automotive AG appointed Matthias Mueller (pic), the former chief executive of Porsche and Volkswagen, as its new chairman, the company said today.

Founded by Anton Piëch, son of ex-VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch, the Switzerland-based company is preparing to raise funds to launch an electric two-seater sports car equipped with batteries that charge to 80% capacity in under 5 minutes.

“I was immediately enthusiastic about the mission of the two founders, because it is more compelling and more visionary than all the new approaches I have encountered during my work in the automotive industry,” said Mueller.

The electric sportscar will have a range of up to 500km, and the first planned vehicle concept will be available to buy at the end of 2022.

The Zurich-based company also hired Jochen Rudat, a former Tesla executive, as head of sales.

Among the company’s early-stage investors is Peter Thiel, the carmaker said. Swiss bank UBS will leading the next funding round, Piëch Automotive said.


Tesla edges closer to setting up shop in India

                NEW DELHI: Tesla Inc has moved a step closer to its launch in India later this year by registering a company in the country, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday.

Tesla Motors India and Energy Private Limited was incorporated on Jan 8 with its registered office in the southern city of Bengaluru, a hub for several global technology companies.

The filing shows the Indian unit has three directors including David Feinstein, who is currently a senior executive at Tesla, according to his LinkedIn profile.

India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari told a local newspaper in December the US electric carmaker would start with sales and then might look at assembly and manufacturing.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has tweeted several times in recent years, including as recently as October 2020, about an impending foray into India.

The move comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting the production and use of electric vehicles to reduce the country’s oil dependence and cut down on pollution.

But efforts have been stymied by a lack of investment in manufacturing and infrastructure such as charging stations.

To boost investment, India plans to offer US$4.6 billion in incentives to companies setting up advanced battery manufacturing facilities, according to a government proposal seen by Reuters.


Indian police deploy mannequins to deter traffic offenders

Motorists riding past a mannequin dressed up as traffic police at an intersection in Bangalore. - AFP
BANGALORE: Dummy police are the newest recruits to law enforcement in India's southern city of Bangalore where authorities have adopted an unusual tactic to fight traffic offenders.

Mannequins dressed up as traffic officers - complete with hats, white shirts and fluorescent vests with police insignia - are being placed at major intersections in the hope they will prompt drivers to observe the rules.

Some even wear sunglasses and face masks.

With eight million cars plying the notoriously busy roads in a tech hub renowned for its traffic snarls, police say they don't have enough flesh and blood officers to man all the junctions.

"The idea is not to scare anybody, the idea is to increase the compliance," said city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao.

"There are 44,000 junctions in the city but traffic lights are fixed in (only) about 450 junctions, the rest of it is manned manually or not managed at all."

He added that officers use a "hide and seek" tactic - swapping the mannequins with actual police - to keep drivers on their best behaviour.

Bangalore, dubbed as the Silicon Valley of India, is home to an estimated 13 million people.

An average of two people die every day on the roads of the megalopolis with 4,283 crashes reported from January to November this year, many blamed on drink-driving, speeding and drivers ignoring traffic signals.

There were 50,457 cases of reckless driving and another 57,394 for drink-driving this year, official figures show.

The model officers have received a mixed reaction from commuters about whether the dummy ploy would work, with some locals praising police for thinking outside the box.

"It's a general human mentality that when you see a policeman, you have fear in your heart, 'Oh I am doing something wrong, I will not do it'," said clothing company director Vijay Shekhar.

Others were more sceptical.

Businessman Rohit Kamalkar said the scheme wouldn't work in a country like India where rules are flouted with impunity.

"We do not follow rules even when they (police) are real (so) how would it work when they are not moving and running after us?" said tech consultant Sapan Agarwal added.


Honda CONNECT telematics system arrives

                PETALING JAYA: Honda Malaysia today introduced Honda CONNECT, its latest innovative and advanced technology for vehicle connectivity.

Applying smart telematics technology, it allows the users to connect with their cars via a smartphone application, bringing a new level of safety, security and convenience to Honda owners.

Honda CONNECT technology will be available first in the City RS e:HEV variant which will begin delivery to customers from March. So far Honda Malaysia has not revealed the price of this system and subsequent models to be equipped with it.

Key functions of Honda CONNECT include vehicle diagnostics, remote applications, security applications, vehicle tracking and support services.

Within the function of Safety and Security, Honda CONNECT is equipped with Automatic Collision Detection System, Security Alarm Detection, Speed Alert, Find My Car, Geo-Fencing Alert and Emergency Call.

The Automatic Collision Detection System provides immediate support to the driver via Honda’s 24 Hours Roadside Assist Call Centre in case of an accident or air bag deployment in the car.

A notification will be sent to the Call Centre and emergency support will be dispatched with owner also being notified via push notification on the application.

The Security Alarm Detection feature remotely monitors the car from wherever the owner is and a push notification will be sent to the owner as well as Honda’s 24 Hours Roadside Assist Call Center when the car door, trunk or bonnet is forcibly opened.

The Find My Car function allows owners to park with ease anywhere knowing that they can now easily locate their car on a map that is linked to their smartphone.

The Speed Alert and Geo-Fencing Alert function will alert the owner when the vehicle is being driven out of the set driving radius and speed limit especially when the vehicle is lent to someone else.

Honda CONNECT's Remote Vehicle Control function can remotely lock or unlock the car when the owner is away from the vehicle for a family member to retrieve an item left inside the cabin.

Similarly, the owner can also request for Honda’s 24 Hours Roadside Assist Call Center to unlock the doors remotely if the car keys were accidentally left inside.

This intelligent feature can also remotely start or stop the car engine, switch on or off the air conditioning to conveniently cool the cabin as well as remotely switching on the lights to help the owner locate the parked car at night time.

The Honda CONNECT application also allows the owner access the car's dashboard information through Car Status and Service Reminder feature.

The Service Reminder function, meanwhile, provides the owner with updates on all past service information including reminders for next periodical maintenance.

The owner can check Service History, Parts List and Estimation cost for future vehicle service as well as contact a Honda Dealer to make a service appointment.

The Remote Diagnostic Support can provide initial assessment and necessary diagnosis on the issues encountered by the car.

It can detect any issues with the 11 main indicators - Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Supplemental Restraint System, Brake System, Engine Malfunction, Charging System, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System, Electric Power Steering (EPS) System, Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control System (ACC), Safety Support and Power System - and send push notifications to the owner.

Honda CONNECT also works to offer an advanced form of communication through the One-to-One Message function, Social Network Services (SNS) Posting and Customer Inquiry features.

The One-to-One Message are reminders on service maintenance, insurance renewal and annual vehicle tax deadline while SNS Posting allows users to share their vehicle trip logs with their community via social media.

Additionally, the application connects and gives access for the owner to contact Honda directly for any enquiries as well as for Honda dealers to be in touch with customers for an efficient customer-dealer relationship.

Honda Malaysia managing director and chief executive officer Toichi Ishiyama said Honda CONNECT's technology embodies Honda’s vision of value creation for mobility and people’s daily lives.

"We seek to improve the daily lives of our customers with an innovative and advanced information platform that provides multiple benefits such as peace of mind, convenience and most importantly, fun!

"This innovative technology is set to redefine safety, security and convenience for Honda car owners, allowing them to fully experience and enjoy their Honda car while enabling us to provide round-the-clock support to our valued customers," he said.

For details, call Honda Malaysia’s Toll Free number at tel: 1-800-88-2020 or log on to www.honda.com.my.


'Transformers' chasing 'Furious 8' to become 2017's biggest live-action car movie

A scene from the latest Transformers film. — Image from Paramount Pictures
LOS ANGELES: Following April's "Fate of the Furious," June 21 debut "Transformers: The Last Knight" looks to overtake its billion dollar box office haul and while the two movies have locations and budgets in common, there are surprisingly few vehicles that pop up in both car-centric films.

Eighth in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, April 2017's "Fate of the Furious" roared to a US$1.23 billion return on a US$250 million budget.

At US$260 million and as a fifth franchise entry, "The Last Knight" needs upwards of US$1.25bn to overtake both "Fate" and Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to become 2017's highest-grossing film to date.

Whereas its immediate predecessor, "Transformers: Age of Extinction," was noted for its courting of Chinese audiences and financiers, its immediate successor spends much of its time in England, Scotland, and Ireland - just as 2013's "Furious 6" was set in London.

And like "The Fate of the Furious," "The Last Knight" also took time to film in Cuba following the renewal of US-Cuban relations in 2015.

Both franchises have become noted for their use of sports and muscle cars -- the "Transformers" remit extends to include trucks, military vehicles, emergency services, motorcycles and helicopters -- but there's surprisingly little crossover between "Furious 8" and "the Last Knight."

In fact, ahead of "The Last Knight"'s debut, only a handful of manufacturers are expected to appear in both movies.

Lamborghini is one brand doubling up on the opportunity, with the Murciélago LP640 prominent in "F8"'s arctic sequence while the Centenario special edition becomes Omar Sy character Hot Rod for "The Last Knight."

Two marques provide the same models for both films, but in each case vehicles are separated by decades of development.

Chevrolet's Corvette was introduced in 1953 and the C2, a second-generation version produced between 1963 and 1967, is used in "F8": it's the current seventh-gen C7 Stingray that becomes part of the main "Last Knight" cast.

It's Volkswagen's Type 2 van that straddles the greatest historical divide.

A contemporary edition was airborne for a moment in "F8," while the line's 1950s ancestor occupies a more significant role in "The Last Knight" as Dreadbot, a Transformer on the antagonists' side.

But Mercedes-AMG went one better by supplying near-identical roadsters for the two films.

Its GT S was involved in one of the "F8" set pieces, part of a collective effort to keep a Plymouth Road Runner in check, while in "The Last Knight" its 2017 variant, the even more powerful GT R, becomes Ken Watanabe's character Drift.


Audi seeks to double return on sales by 2025, says mag

                BERLIN: Volkswagen AG’s Audi is setting itself ambitious profitability targets even as the luxury-car division expands its electric-vehicle sales efforts, Der Spiegel reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Chief executive officer Markus Duesmann plans to make Audi the VW group’s biggest profit contributor, targeting a return on sales of more than 11% in 2025, up from 5.5% last year, the magazine said Saturday.

Audi expects to sell more than 2 million cars this year and may target 3 million sold vehicles by 2030, Der Spiegel said.

Duesmann sees electric vehicles becoming as profitable as combustion-engine cars in two to three years, the magazine said.


US senators press Biden to set end date for petrol-powered car sales

                WASHINGTON: California’s two US senators are urging President Joe Biden to set a firm date to phase-out petrol-powered passenger vehicles as the White House grapples with how to rewrite vehicle emissions rules slashed under President Donald Trump.

In an unreported letter going to Biden today, Democratic Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein called on Biden “to follow California’s lead and set a date by which all new cars and passenger trucks sold be zero-emission vehicles.” They also urged Biden to restore California’s authority to set clean car standards.

In September, California governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing the state’s air resources agency to require all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035.

Biden’s campaign in 2020 declined to endorse a specific date to end petrol-powered vehicle sales, but he has vowed to dramatically boost electric vehicles and charging stations.

In January, Biden said the administration would replace the federal government’s fleet of 650,000 vehicles “with clean electric vehicles made right here in America made by American workers.”

The senators also say Biden should use a compromise deal that California struck with automakers including Ford Motor Co, Honda Motor, BMW AG and Volkswagen AG that falls between the Trump administration and Obama-era requirements.

“We believe the national baseline should, at an absolute minimum, be built around the technical lead set by companies that voluntarily advanced their agreements with California,” Padilla, who replaced Vice President Kamala Harris in the Senate, and Feinstein wrote in the letter seen by Reuters.

“California and other states need a strong federal partner.”

Shortly after taking office, Biden ordered US agencies to revisit fuel efficiency standards by July.

The Trump administration in March 2020 finalised a rollback of fuel economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts in Obama-administration rules it discarded.

Then President Donald Trump repeatedly targeted California, a Democratic bastion that tangled with Trump on multiple fronts during his tenure.

The Center for Biological Diversity estimates the California deal improves fuel economy 3.7% year over year between 2022-2026.

Biden also directed the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by April to reconsider Trump’s 2019 decision to revoke California’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles.

A White House spokesman declined to comment Sunday on the timing of any announcement on California’s vehicle authority.

California’s vehicle emissions standards are followed by 13 other states and the District of Columbia accounting for more than 40% of the US population.

In January, General Motors said it aspires to end all gasoline passenger car and truck sales by 2035. Volvo, a unit of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, said its entire car line-up will be fully electric by 2030 and Ford’s European lineup will also be fully electric by 2030.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing major automakers, declined comment Sunday but last month backed nationwide rules to achieve vehicle emissions reductions roughly midway between the Trump and Obama standards.


Once 'green' plug-in hybrid cars suddenly look like dinosaurs in Europe

                LONDON/BRUSSELS: Remember when plug-in hybrid cars were the go-to technology for the climate-conscious driver? Turns out, they’re not good for the environment, according to some experts, and they could be phased out by carmakers in the face of tougher European rules.

EU policy plans for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), which contain an electric battery and a combustion engine, could mean the “transition” technology has a shorter lifespan than envisaged by some leading automakers.

Draft green finance regulations would ban manufacturers from labelling them as “sustainable investments” beyond 2025, potentially deterring investors. Meanwhile planned rules on emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides could increase the cost of producing these cars.

The aim of such reforms is to speed the transit to fully-electric vehicles and meet climate goals. Yet they would mark a shift from existing EU policies, such as CO2 standards, which have treated hybrids on a par with all-electric cars and helped spur the auto industry to invest tens of billions of euros in the technology.

Some carmakers had envisaged selling hybrids until at least the end of this decade as a bridge to fully battery electric vehicles (BEVs) - although their shift away from the technology looks to be underway.

An analysis of car production plans in Europe through to 2028 compiled for Reuters by AutoForecast Solutions (AFS), which tracks industry production plans, shows only 28 PHEV models versus 86 BEV models. That is a turnaround for an industry where PHEV models on the market have outnumbered BEV models every year since 2015, often significantly.

Now some carmakers fear the EU could prematurely cut short that transition. They warn upcoming rules could make it hard to sell PHEVs in European markets in just a few years’ time, despite consumer concerns about the range of fully electric cars and a lack of charging infrastructure.

“It’s crazy to do this by 2025 because effectively you kill demand today,” said Adrian Hallmark, CEO of British luxury carmaker Bentley, a unit of Volkswagen, referring to proposals to not classify PHEVs as sustainable investments. He plans to sell PHEVs until 2030 before going all-electric.

“For most people, a battery electric car is not yet practical,” he told Reuters.

A European Commission official declined to comment on the green finance rules specifically, but said its policies were “technology neutral”, adding that PHEVs were “a transition technology towards zero-emission mobility”. To reach an overall climate neutrality target in 2050, nearly all cars on the roads must be zero emissions by that time, the Commission added.

The rules, which are still being drafted, come against the backdrop of a shift in the position of some leading environmental groups which are pushing to dispel PHEVs’ green credentials and do away with their subsidies.

One study, from the International Council on Clean Transportation last September, said PHEVs’ fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are up to four times the level they are approved for because people do not charge them often enough.

Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles and e-mobility at European NGO Transport & Environment, said its own research showed that when driven in combustion-engine mode, hybrids’ CO2 emissions were higher than conventional cars’ - they’re heavier than combustion-only cars so used more fuel.

“From the perspective of environment and climate, today’s plug-in hybrid technology is worse than what it is replacing.”

This is a change in the group’s position from as recently as 2018, when it saw PHEVs as a transition technology.

Divided

Carmakers say hybrids, used properly with electric as the primary power source and combustion as a back-up, emit far less than conventional cars. They add that PHEVs are a popular transitional choice for consumers who want greener travel.

PHEV sales in the EU more than trebled to 507,000 vehicles in 2020, almost as many as the nearly 539,000 all-electric vehicles sold.

Gauging carmakers’ investments on PHEVs is hard because they only announce broad “electrification” plans. Consultancy AlixPartners estimates carmakers and suppliers will invest US$200 billion in electrification from 2020 to 2024.

German engineering specialists FEV estimates fitting a battery, motor and electronics to a combustion engine car to make a PHEV costs up to €4,000 (nearly RM20,000) per vehicle.

European automakers are dividing over whether to fight for PHEVs, or spend their financial and political capital accelerating the leap to fully electric vehicles and pushing for better charging infrastructure across the continent.

Stephan Neugebauer, chairman of the European Green Vehicles Initiative Association, told Reuters technology improvements will mean future PHEVs rely less on their combustion engines, making them fit for the green transition over the next decade and even beyond.

“Will all customers buy battery electric vehicles in 10 years, or nine years? We don’t think so,” said Neugebauer, who is also BMW’s director of global research cooperation.

“Why? Because sometimes you have to make a long-distance trip, you go on holidays, you have to pull a trailer. And for this, you need public charging infrastructure. And this will still be a critical issue.”

BMW and Renault SA, which have not set a date for going all-electric, are among the companies firmly in the hybrids camp.

BMW boss Oliver Zipse said last month that they were “a great consumer product” and there would be a market for them even without subsidies.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo said in February that PHEVs “will be part of the landscape for the next 10 years easily” and were more profitable than conventional cars.

Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson told Reuters: “It’s a bit disappointing they (Brussels policymakers) don’t see the value of a plug-in hybrid”.

But he said his company, which aims to be all-electric by 2030, was more focused on pushing the EU to make member states invest heavily in charging infrastructure.

“If we in the car industry invest in electric cars, and do that very rapidly, I think our credibility to ask for investments in the charging network increases,” he said.

PHEVs excluded in sustainable plan

The European Commission is due to propose at least a dozen pieces of legislation to slash emissions across all sectors this year.

Current drafts of the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy, a list of economic activities that from next year will determine what can be marketed as a sustainable investment, exclude manufacturing of PHEVs from 2026.

That could deter the army of investors seeking assets with green credentials. It could also potentially restrict public funding, if governments moved to align their spending with the taxonomy.

While many countries still subsidise PHEVs, the Netherlands scaled back tax breaks for them in 2016. By 2020, eight times as many BEVs were sold in the country as PHEVs, compared with four times as many PHEVs as BEVs four years before, showing how government policy on vehicle technology can have a major effect on consumer behaviour.

A consortium of researchers, commissioned by the EU and known as CLOVE, this month recommended that so-called Euro7 rules should tighten car emission limits for pollutants including nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide from 2025. Its recommendations are not binding, but aim to inform the European Commission’s proposals, due later this year.

Transport & Environment, part of the Commission’s expert group working on the standards, said the proposals would force carmakers to fit PHEVs with expensive technology to curb emissions from their combustion engines.

Hildegard Mueller, president of German auto industry association VDA, said the proposals were “at the limit of what is technologically achievable”.

“We still have to be very careful that the internal combustion engine is not made impossible by Euro7,” she said.


Foreign vehicle entering S'pore to pay high road charges

                SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority said today that all foreign-registered cars will have to pay a Reciprocal Road Charge (RRC) of S$6.40 per entry when they enter Singapore via the Tuas or Woodlands Checkpoint from Feb 15.

The new charge mirrors Malaysia's Road Charge of RM20 ($6.40) per entry for non-Malaysia registered cars entering Johor, which was implemented on Nov 1, 2016.

The road charge will be collected together with the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP), toll charges and fixed Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) fees upon departure at the Tuas or Woodlands Checkpoint.

Signs have been put up to remind motorists to pay the applicable charges by inserting their Autopass Card or CashCard into card readers atimmigration booths.

The LTA has imposed stiffer penalties on motorists who evade payment of tolls, fees and charges since Aug 1, 2016.

First-time offenders are liable to pay a composition sum of $50 (RM156), while repeat offenders will have to pay $100 (RM312). Motorists who do not pay the composition sum may be charged in court and are liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding S$1,000 (RM3,122), or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months for the first offence.


African supply bottlenecks fuel cobalt price surge

                LONDON: Transport delays from South Africa against a backdrop of increasingly robust Chinese demand have fuelled a price rally for cobalt hydroxide, used to make chemicals for electric vehicle batteries.

Chinese cobalt refiners have moved to replenish stocks of hydroxide feedstock as they gear up for a rebound in demand as coronavirus lockdowns are eased.

But Covid-19 lockdowns in southern Africa have created bottlenecks, delaying cobalt shipments from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which accounts for over 70% of global supply.

“We are seeing a scramble for cobalt hydroxide in China, (but) buyers are finding it isn’t there,” said Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s (BMI) head of price assessment Caspar Rawles.

Cobalt from Congo comes in the form of hydroxide which is converted into chemicals for the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, mobile phones and the aerospace industry.

Cobalt hydroxide prices are typically a percentage of the metal price, known as a payable. According to an assessment by BMI, payables hit levels around 75% in July, their highest in two years, from around 67% last month.

Traders said payables had risen even further, to around 85% currently.

China dominates the supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, makers of which are struggling to source cobalt products.

Cobalt prices CBD0 on the London Metal Exchange are at US$33,000 a tonne, the highest since early March and up more than 15% since the end of July, when the price slide due to stalled activity and COVID-19 lockdowns came to an end.

However, surpluses are still expected this year, with CRU Group’s George Heppel putting the number at 6,000 tonnes while BMI forecasts an oversupply of around 5,000 tonnes.

The September cobalt contract on the Wuxi Stainless Steel Electronic Trading Center — a reference for spot deals in China — is up 20.6% since the end of June at 286 yuan (US$40.95) a kilo.


From princes to undertakers, Norway's motorists go electric

                OSLO: In the Norwegian capital, a funeral home offers the dearly departed a trip to their final resting place in an eye-catching electric hearse, as electric vehicles take over the roads in the Scandinavian country.

"Many people drive an electric car in Norway and some want to leave this planet in a green way," says undertaker Odd Borgar Jolstad, demonstrating his customised Tesla in the tranquility of the Grefsen cemetery overlooking the capital.

"So this is our little contribution to the environment," he smiles.

Rich or not, young and old, hip urbanites and rural dwellers alike: Norwegians, including Crown Prince Haakon, are increasingly switching to electric cars.

The choice is especially green in this country, where most of the electricity produced is environmentally friendly, derived from hydro power.

From the affordable Nissan Leaf to the luxurious Tesla, more than half of new cars sold in the country in March were run on batteries rather than fuel.

"We will probably pass 50 percent" for the full year as well, says Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV (electric vehicle) Association.

That is unprecedented in Norway and elsewhere, and the share is expected to increase further with the arrival of new models offering ever-increasing range.

Growing green awareness?

While the Nordic country is the biggest oil producer in Western Europe, it is officially aiming for all new cars sold to be zero emission by 2025.

"There are of course some challenges but it's definitely possible," Bu says.

To meet that goal, Norway will have to switch into higher gear for its recharging infrastructure, setting up stations along motorways, in rural zones and private parking lots, she notes.

But do Norwegians, who owe their immense wealth to North Sea oil, really have a greater environmental conscience than others?

Probably not — the speedy electrification of the country's automotive fleet is attributed mainly to generous state subsidies.

Electric cars are almost entirely exempt from the heavy taxes imposed on petrol and diesel cars, which makes them competitively priced.

A VW Golf with a standard combustion engine costs nearly 334,000 kroner (RM160,000), while its electric cousin the e-Golf costs 326,000 kroner (RM157,000), thanks to a lower tax quotient.

Per Kolner, a retired business leader in his late 60s, is already on his fifth electric car.

He bought his first one because of the high cost of city road tolls.

"First it was actually the cost," he says, standing in front of his spanking new Tesla 3.

"Tolls kept popping up all around and on my way to and from my work every day I had to pass them four times, which made about 10 to 15 dollars a day just in toll fees."

Electric cars have long been able to whiz through toll plazas without paying.

Social costs

But even denizens of this wealthy state grumble about the cost.

As Norway's car fleet grows increasingly cleaner and is therefore subjected to fewer taxes, the state's revenue from car-related taxes is now 2.6 billion euros lower than in 2007, according to the government.

Some benefits have already disappeared: road tolls are no longer completely free, just reduced, and the same goes for parking and recharging stations in public parking lots.

Electric cars are also allowed to use bus lanes freely. However, as their large numbers slow down bus traffic, in the most congested parts of Oslo they can use bus lanes only if there are at least two or more people in the vehicle.

The duration of the exemptions — guaranteed until 2021 — is increasingly being questioned.

"We subsidise electric vehicles in Norway because they have somewhat lower CO2 emissions than conventional cars," notes Bjart Holtsmark, a researcher at Statistics Norway.

"But there are a lot of other social costs related to car driving: congestion, accidents, noise and so forth. And with respect to those types of problems there are very small differences related to these types of cars."

According to Norway's biggest insurer Gjensidige, new electric cars are involved in 20 percent more accidents involving personal injuries than diesel models, in part because of their faster acceleration.

Meanwhile, electric cars are attracting more than just private consumers, with commercial clients following the trend as well as taxis and postal and fire services, among others.

But on Oslo's streets, the electric hearse still raises eyebrows.

"Often, when we drive around, people walking by — and even some drivers — take out their phones to take pictures," says Jolstad, wearing a dark suit as befits the job he has held for three decades.


Lynk & Co plans European market assault

Lynk & Co 02.
SHANGHAI: The Geely-owned Chinese brand with a focus on innovative sales models and connectivity is looking to launch a serious assault on the European market, which will see an electrified large SUV and saloon spearheading the campaign.

Lynk & Co - the innovative new Chinese car builder that gave its first three models the rather uninspired names of the 01, the 02 and the 03 – is aiming to make inroads into Europe.

As Geely is the parent company of Volvo, Geely brands can all save on development costs by utilising Volvo's versatile and pretty excellent SPA platform. The two new models planned to woo European buyers will both be built using the SPA architecture, and they're expected to appear early in the next decade.

Auto Express reports the first of the pair will be a large SUV. The UK publication's source, who works in Lynk & Co's product management department, said: "We have plans to work on the XC90 platform. But we will also look at fully electric. We are already working on four different versions, which won't all come from Volvo."

 The 03.

Another model aimed at the European market is also in the works.

The source continued: "We have a plan for a saloon based on the S90 architecture for after 2020. For Europe, we would also introduce the Lynk & Co version of S90."

The brand is already looking to launch the 02 based on the XC40 and the XC60-derived 03 in Europe. That's just the start of things, though. Insiders told Auto Express that the company is looking to expand its portfolio even further.

Both the as-yet unseen models are expected to be available as hybrids or full-blown EVs only. Though no prices have been mentioned, the new models will aim to compete with popular German brands, but at slightly lower prices.


Britain to ban sales of petrol, diesel-fuelled cars from 2040

                LONDON: Britain’s government will announce today that it will ban the sale of petrol- and diesel-fuelled cars from 2040 when all vehicles must be fully electric as part of a plan to clean up air pollution, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

The reported move follows a similar announcement earlier this month by the French government.

No one was immediately available for comment at Britain’s environment ministry, which was due to make the announcement, according to the newspaper reports.

The Times said the sale of new hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor combined with a petrol or diesel engine would also end under the plan.

The government has been under pressure to take measures to reduce air pollution after losing legal cases brought by campaign groups.

Under the proposals due to be announced on Wednesday, local authorities would be able to charge levies on the drivers of the diesel vehicles on the most polluted roads from 2020, if air quality does not improve, the Daily Mail newspaper said.

Separately on Tuesday, German carmaker BMW said it had chosen its plant in Oxford, England as the location to produce an electric MINI from 2019.

Earlier this month, Volvo became the first major traditional automaker to set a date for phasing out vehicles powered solely by the internal combustion engine by saying all its car models launched after 2019 will be electric or hybrids.


Smart's redesigned EQ fortwo and EQ forfour to get premiere in Frankfurt

                STUTTGART: Smart's updated EQ fortwo and EQ forfour will be shown for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show, set to be held Sept 12 - 22. The entire lineup will now only be available in electric models.

Smart's EQ fortwo, EQ fortwo cabrio and EQ forfour have undergone a slight redesign. The front exterior has a more aggressive look, with an imposing front grille, air intakes on either side and new LED headlights.

Inside the car, the electric engine of all of these models can reach a maximum power output of 60 kW, giving it a maximum speed of 130kph and an autonomy of about 150km, depending on the model.

It's clear that small city cars are progressively going electric. After the first electric smart models launched at the end of 2017, the new MINI Cooper SE is this fall's big debut, and the first electric Fiat 500 is expected for 2020.

Other manufacturers have also announced their plans to head in the all-electric direction. Volvo, DS, and even Porsche, are outlining their initiatives for launches likely to take place sooner rather than later.


Falling Mercedes sales hits Daimler

                FRANKFURT: Daimler AG said its financial targets have become harder to achieve after a tough start to the year, forcing the auto manufacturer to step up efforts to drive down costs.

The Mercedes-Benz maker’s first-quarter profit slumped 16 percent after a decline in deliveries combined with the rising cost of developing new models, the Stuttgart-based company said in a statement on Friday.

While earnings met analyst expectations, Daimler chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche said the result fell well short.

“Achieving the financial targets for 2019 has not become easier since the first quarter,” Zetsche said in a statement. “We now have to work hard to achieve our targets for 2019.”

The carmaker still expects group earnings before interest and tax to “rise slightly” this year.

Daimler in February already vowed to cut costs to shore up falling profits. Since then, Mercedes-Benz deliveries through March have declined 5.6 percent with the manufacturer Friday giving scant fresh detail about how to reverse a profitability decline in the main cars unit to 6.1 percent from 9 percent from a year ago.

Daimler is reportedly considering a reduction of about 10,000 jobs through voluntary measures as part of 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in savings at the cars operations by 2021.

Zetsche, who’s departing in May, earlier flagged a weak first-quarter margin in the cars unit because of the cost of upgrading the GLE sport utility vehicle and ramping up a joint Mexican factory with Nissan Motor Co.

Investors are likely to look beyond first-quarter woes and focus on CEO-designate Ola Kallenius taking over in May, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean said in a report.

“We anticipate his new strategic plan will be unveiled this summer.”

Daimler shares fell 1.3 percent to 57.70 euros Thursday, valuing the world’s largest manufacturer of luxury cars and commercial vehicles at 61.7 billion euros. After a dismal 2018, the stock has gained 26 percent since the beginning of the year, outpacing German rivals BMW AG and Volkswagen AG.


Toyota starts selling used vehicles on online store

                TOYOTA CITY: Toyota has launched its used vehicle online store in Japan.

The service provides everything customers need to complete the purchase of a used vehicle online, from quotation through to contracting, for select used vehicles via Toyota dealers.

The enhanced convenience for customers makes it possible to place orders anytime all year round.

Vehicle delivery (collection at a dealer) is possible two or three weeks after the registration paperwork is completed.

Toyota said an online store for new cars is in the pipeline.


German students set sizzling acceleration record in electric vehicle

                STUTTGART: From 0 to 100 in just 1.461 seconds: That is the best time for the fastest accelerating electric vehicle and a new world record.

The previous benchmark was topped by a team of 20 students from the University of Stuttgart's with a self-designed electric racing car at a race track owned by electric giant Bosch at Renningen in Germany's Baden-Wuerttemberg state.

The old record stood at of 1.513 seconds and was set by a team in Switzerland in 2016.

The dash puts conventional supercars and even powerful motorbikes in the shade. It is 0.9 seconds faster than the Tesla Model S Plaid while a V12-petrol-engined Bugatti needs 2.4 seconds for the feat.

The Guinness World Records confirmed the world record on Oct 6. It was the second attempt by the team after technical gremlins halted an earlier record bid.

It is actually the third time GreenTeam has held the record, after it notched up a 0-100kph time of 2.681 seconds in 2012.

"We are very happy that we have broken the world record and brought it back to Germany", said Pavel Povolni of GreenTeam. The team spent almost a year preparing for the world record.

"It was exhausting, but a unique experience and the big effort was definitely worth it", said driver Diogo Silva

The carbon racing car weighs just under 145kg and, thanks to the four-wheel drive with home-grown electric motors and newly designed high-voltage battery, puts a maximum output of 180kW on the road.

Due to the low vehicle weight, this corresponds to 1,750hp per tonne. This allows a peak acceleration of 2.5g, which is roughly comparable to the force experienced by astronauts when a space rocket re-enters the earth's atmosphere.


Hyundai faces lawsuit over EV fires as GM launches recall

                SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Co is being sued over a string of battery fires in its electric vehicles (EVs), just as General Motors Co recalls nearly 70,000 EVs with batteries from the same maker, LG Chem Ltd.

The owner of a Hyundai Kona EV, a South Korean civil servant who asked to be identified only by his surname Kim, is among some 200 people who lodged a class-action lawsuit against Hyundai last week, seeking compensation for what they say is the reduced value of their EVs and other losses, said Kim and two lawyers representing them.

The court filing is not a public record.

Kim had started a petition drive to sue the Seoul-based carmaker after the same brand of EV caught fire in his neighbourhood, forcing about 20 residents to evacuate their homes.

One of the lawyers said they were initially seeking 8 million won (nearly RM30,000) per plaintiff but they could increase demand as the trial proceeds.

The plaintiffs want Hyundai to replace the entire battery pack - the most expensive part of the vehicle - of their Kona EVs, not just update the software, as the company’s recall provides.

EV sales are climbing globally as the technology holds out the promise of cleaner transportation, with costs falling and driving ranges increasing. But the emerging risk of fire from overheated batteries could set back the entire industry.

Recalls could mean reputational as well as financial damage to Hyundai and other automakers, which are pushing into the EV market to meet tougher emissions regulations and to challenge market leader Tesla Inc TSLA.O. The problems could also dent consumer demand for EVs.

“A battery that is not safe is like a bomb,” said Park Chul-wan, a South Korean battery expert.

Double-edged technology

A series of fires involving automakers, including GM, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Ford Motor Co, expose the challenge the industry faces in managing the risks of new technology and the pressures to boost battery production and performance.

GM said on Friday it was recalling 68,677 EVs with LG Chem batteries, after five reported fires and two minor injuries.

Hyundai has recalled globally more than 74,000 Kona EVs, its top-selling electric car, after 16 of them caught fire in South Korea, Canada and Europe in two years.

South Korea’s safety agency is investigating the cause of the Kona fire, and depending on the results, Hyundai and LG Chem could face costs up to US$540 million if they have to replace all the affected batteries, analysts reckon.

In a statement to Reuters, Hyundai said the cause of fire is unclear but it suspects that internal damage to batteries may be to blame, adding that it is investigating the case with its supplier and the transport ministry.

Hyundai said it is not considering setting aside money for recalls as it expects its software fix will be able to prevent fires by detecting problems.

“We are constantly monitoring the situation after an update of the (battery management system) and we will continue to try to minimise consumer inconveniences going forward,” Hyundai said, adding that problems were found only in some vehicles, which would get battery replacements at no cost.

While GM investigate the root cause of the fire, GM advised Bolt EV owners to change the charge settings on their vehicles, limiting charges to 90% to reduce the risk of fire.

A LG Chem spokesman said, “We will cooperate with Hyundai Motor and General Motors and sincerely proceed with an investigation to identify the exact cause” of the fire.

LG Chem CEO Hak Cheol Shin said last month that the battery system is very complex, suggesting problems may be caused by other components made by Hyundai’s suppliers.

“As a supplier of a key component of the battery system, we clearly feel responsibility. But until a clear cause would be determined, we can’t come up with measures to address the problems,” he said.

In addition to the problems at Hyundai and GM, Ford recently offered to replace the battery packs of its Kuga plug-in hybrid vehicle over fire risks, saying this could cost the carmaker US$600 million in the second half, including a cost to meet Europe’s emissions regulations.

Ford and BMW have recalled vehicles using Samsung SDI Co batteries, citing cell manufacturing defects. A Samsung SDI spokesman said investigations are under way into the cause of the fires.

Tesla was investigated by a US safety authorities over a battery software upgrade of some vehicles following vehicle fires.

‘Scared’

Hyundai and LG Chem are at odds over the root cause of the fires as South Korea’s safety agency investigates the case. LG denies the battery cells are defective.

The plaintiffs are pressing Hyundai to take more decisive action.

“While acknowledging flaws in the batteries, your company has been relying on the wrong policy – software replacement, which is only a temporary fix – to buy time,” they say in a letter to the carmaker, seen by Reuters.

A 35-year-old woman, who asked to be identified only by her surname Shin, said she had to evacuate her apartment complex at dawn with her baby in a stroller last month after a Kona EV caught fire and engulfed the underground lot in flames.

“The stench of burned electronics and smoke swept through the whole neighbourhood,” Shin said.

Before the fire, she believed EVs were good for the environment. Now, she says, she tells her relatives not to buy them.

“Electric vehicles have just become something I’m so scared of.”


Perodua extends cash aid to flood hit states

                KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua is extending cash assistance to flood hit states, particularly in the east coast totalling RM225,000 as well as offering financial assistance to both its affected staff and dealers to cope with the recent flood.

The cash assistance to the affected states is an addition to the RM400,000 contribution Perodua made to the victims of the floods in all worst hit flood areas since December 2014, bringing its total contribution to RM625,000 since December.

“This humble yet sincere contribution is to help the affected state governments in their process of rebuilding after the worst flood in 30 years,” said Perodua president and CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.

Aside from cash donations, 100 Perodua volunteers were sent to the affected areas to help with the clean-up and to help with authorities in the distribution of goods needed by the flood victims.

The compact car company also collaborated with Majlis Keselamatan Negara, an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department to coordinate relief efforts, to distribution of essential goods, which include blankets and food to flood victims.

On top of the assistance given, Perodua also offered assistance in the form of discounts on selected parts and free inspections to determine the amount of damage done to the vehicle.

“Our customers matter most to us and these value added services are provided to help relieve some of the burden our customers have to deal with during this disaster,” Aminar said.

On the assistance given, Aminar said that Perodua will reimburse towing service fees up to a maximum of RM100 (one hundred ringgit only) to the nearest Perodua service outlet.

In total, there are 176 Perodua service outlets nationwide. (Terms and Conditions apply).

In addition, Perodua is also offering 20% off selected genuine parts to Perodua owners whose vehicles are damaged by the floods.

The parts include all electronic items, carpet, vehicle seats, door trims and engine overhaul gasket.

Perodua’s customers, whose vehicles suffered flood related damages recently, are encouraged to call Perodua Smart Assist at 1-800-88-5555 for towing assistance.


Flying car by California startup Alef attracts early Tesla investor

                DETROIT: The concept of a flying car is not new — inventors have been trying to add wings to wheeled motor vehicles for decades, with only limited success.

Jim Dukhovny, founder of Alef Aeronautics, hopes to change that equation. His California-based firm has come up with a novel approach to moving terrestrial vehicles into the skies and has attracted at least one prominent venture capitalist.

Alef’s Model A, which is just emerging from a seven-year gestation period, looks less like the flying cars in old movies and more like Bruce Willis' flying taxi in the 1997 film "The Fifth Element."

The unusual appearance — which features a body that flips on its side to become the wing after lift-off - is just one aspect that attracted Tim Draper, an early investor in Elon Musk's Tesla Inc and SpaceX whose Draper Associates Fund V has backed Alef with US$3 million in seed money.

After Draper had made a modest initial investment, “I put more (money in) when I saw that they had created a small drone prototype that did exactly what they told me it would do,” he said in an email.

“The design is extraordinary. The sides of the car become the wings when the plane goes horizontal.”

Based in Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley, Alef has designed the Model A - a swoopy yet relatively conventional-looking electric car - with the ability to take off and land vertically. And of course, to fly.

Dukhovny, who is Alef's CEO, has never built a car until now.

He is a computer scientist, software designer, science-fiction buff and serial entrepreneur who once ran an online gaming site called Intellectual Casino.

In an interview, he said the hand-built Model A is designed to sell for US$300,000, with production and initial deliveries slated in 2025.

That price tag, by the way, is the same starting price planned for the Cadillac brand's electric-vehicle flagship, the Celestiq, which should start arriving for customers in early 2024, according to Cadillac parent General Motors Co.

One feature that sets the Model A apart from earlier versions of flying cars is how it flies.

Once it lifts off the ground, the cockpit swivels and the carbon-fibre body turns over on its side, then moves forward, driven by an array of propellers. Most other recent attempts by competitors resemble giant drones — and are not capable of wheeled travel on the ground.

 Alef founders

“The whole car is the wing,” said Dukhovny.

Alef estimates a driving range of 322km and a flight range of 160km.

Dukhovny has an even bigger trick up his sleeve for 2030: A proposed Model Z sedan, with a flight range of 320km and a driving range of 640km - and a projected price tag of US$35,000.

“This is not more complicated than a Toyota Corolla,” he said. “Our goal is to make sure it has the same price point.”


Shell Helix contest rewards motorists

                KUALA LUMPUR: Three lucky motorists had a rejuvenating experience as grand prize winners of Shell Helix’s #cleanmyengine online contest.

The three, namely Faudzina Khamis, K’ng Choo Wei and Noel Kuppan – each won a premium auto detailing package worth RM1,500 at Regal Valet in Bangsar, a 195-minute Sultana Hammam spa package worth RM550 at Hammam Bangsar Village and a 4-litre pack of Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 with PurePlus Technology worth RM235.

At a recent prize giving ceremony, K’ng was represented by his wife, Lee Woei Lin.

The contest, which was held from Dec 29, 2014 till Jan 29, 2015, also gave away 10 consolation prizes comprising a 4-litre pack of Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 with PurePlus Technology worth RM235 and an exclusive PurePlus Technology cube containing actual base oil made from natural gas.

According to Shell Helix brand manager Joanna Lean, the contest succeeded in reaching out to discerning car owners and amplified the superior cleansing abilities of the flagship Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology 5W-40 fully synthetic motor oil.

“Imagine a motor oil made from natural gas that is so pure that it cleanses your car inside out so that you can enjoy an optimum driving experience,” she said.

Shell Helix’s revolutionary PurePlus Technology produces a clearer base oil with virtually none of the impurities found in crude oil.

The pure, synthetic base oil from natural gas, delivers higher levels of cleansing and protection.

It also provides superior wear and corrosion protection, and helps to provide superior resistance to oil degradation beyond the latest industry standards, even at the longest manufacturer-recommended oil drain intervals.

For drivers, all of this helps to extend engine life and reduce maintenance costs.

Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology has received OEM approvals from manufacturers including Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, General Motors, Chrysler, Hyundai and BMW.


Toyota refreshes Hilux, opens order books from RM94K

                SHAH ALAM: UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has announced that order-taking has begun for its refreshed Hilux pickup truck which is accompanied by upgrades to its looks, performance and safety equipment.

The company is providing budding buyers with five variants for choice and has included a new Double Cab 2.4 E A/T variant as a new addition.

The new Double Cab 2.8 Rogue A/T replaces the current Double Cab 2.8 Black Edition, while the new Double Cab 2.4 V A/T is an upgrade from the current Double Cab 2.4 L-Edition.

For those who prefer a manual transmission, the Double 2.4 G and Single Cab 2.4 will still be available.

The launch date for the refreshed Hiluxzhas yet to be announced although bookings are currently being accepted at all authorized dealerships nationwide.

However, prices for the refreshed Hilux range will start climbing from as low as RM93,880.

For the Hilux 2.8 Rouge, the company estimates it to be priced at RM148,880.

However, the Hilux D/CAB 2.8 Rouge AT 4x4 specifically is currently being offered at an Early Bird special of RM144,880 until the end of 2020.

The full price list will be issued with the showroom launch.

For colours, there are seven options for choice including Bronze Mica Metallic (new), Crimson Spark Red Metallic, Attitude Black Mica, Phantom Brown Metallic, Medium Silver Metallic, Silver Metallic and Super White II.

The Hilux Single Cab is available only in a Solid White colour.

Improvements made to the 1G-FTV 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine means output has been raised to 204PS (+27PS) at 3,400rpm with 500Nm (+50Nm) of torque from 1,600 to 2,800rpm.

With the improvement to the engine's performance, so too has fuel-efficiency thanks to the two-stage oil pump that can optimally switch the oil pressure.

Additionally, a water-cooled double-pipe type pre-Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler has also been added to optimise the gas temperature.

The power-assisted rack and pinion steering system for the new Hilux (except for the Single Cab variant) now has a Variable Flow Control (VFC) system which has reduced
demand on the power steering pump - further benefitting fuel economy.

The company added that the driver will find an enhanced steering feel with more natural handling in different speed ranges.

The feel is now lighter at low speeds to make parking maneuvers easier but becomes heavier at higher speeds for added stability.

Also added is an Automatic Limited Slip Differential (LSD) which aids traction by using the traction control system (TRC) to control braking and engine output when one of the rear wheels begin to spin.

The Auto LSD system is only available when in 2WD High mode and up to 50kph.

For added safety, Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) system has been added which consists of three systems - Pre-Collision System (PCS), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) and Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Yaw Assist.

In the looks department, the refreshed Hilux now sports redesigned elements such as the front bumper, grille, and foglamp bezel.

For the flagship Hilux Double Cab 2.8 Rogue, it now uses a new bonnet moulding and skidplate while the base variants get new 17 and 18-inch alloy wheel designs.

Inside, notable changes to the flagship variant's cabin consist of a new interior trim design and instrument cluster before adding illuminated door trim garnish and new key cover design.

The base variants get a new meter design with additional information on the Multi-Information Display (MID).

Those interested to place a booking can do so by logging on to www.toyota.com.my, visiting the nearest authorised Toyota showroom or by calling Toyota Freephone at 1-800-88-TOYOTA (869682).


Radiographer can now drive to work in style

                KUALA LUMPUR: Radiographer Amir Hafizi Abdul Halim drove away with a brand new Mercedes-Benz C200 Avantgarde after winning the Petronas-Visa Swipe and Win contest this year.

The father of four, in his 40s, said he was doubtful when he first received word that he had won because of the many scams around.

“It wasn’t until March 17 when I received an e-mail from Petronas that I was sure I had won.

“This is really a good day. Not only did I win the car but it was presented to me by AMG Mercedes Petronas Formula One driver Nico Rosberg,” he told reporters at the Mercedes-Benz NZ Wheels Autohaus in Bangsar yesterday.

Amir Hafizi, who already owns a Toyota Avanza and a Proton Saga, said he would use his new car to get to work at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang.


Geely's new EV plant will build premium Polestar cars, say sources

                BEIJING/SHANGHAI : An electric vehicle (EV) factory planned by Chinese automaking group Geely will produce cars under the premium Polestar marque, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said today.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd plans to build a plant with annual manufacturing capacity of 30,000 premium EVs in the western city of Chongqing, run by a wholly owned, newly registered company, showed documents on its website.

Geely and Polestar declined to comment on the marque.

The plan comes as foreign automakers including BMW AG and Tesla Inc expand EV production in the world’s biggest market, sourcing major EV components such as batteries locally and often exporting the end product.

Hangzhou-based Geely is China’s most internationally known automaker. It owns Volvo Cars and Lotus, almost half of Proton and 9.7% of Daimler AG. Its Hong Kong-listed Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd is planning a Shanghai float.

Through wholly owned company Polestar, it builds low-volume Polestar 1 hybrid performance cars in the western city of Chengdu and Polestar 2 volume sedans in Taizhou in the east.

It also plans to begin production of the Precept sedan, displayed at this year’s China auto show.

Polestar aims to eventually offer bigger, more sporty vehicles at its showrooms, which currently span nine countries and whose number it plans to raise to 45 from 23 by year-end.

Polestar chief executive Thomas Ingenlath said the firm is scouting markets in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

Geely is also building a factory in China to make sport-utility vehicles under the Lotus marque, Reuters reported.


The one and only Ferrari Omologata

                MARANELLO: A unique Ferrari has been seen lapping Fiorano today and it is the unique, one-off and new Ferrari Omologata.

It was commissioned by an unnamed European client, the V12 engine Omologata is a vibrant evocation of the values that define Ferrari in relation to GT racing: a car that is equally at ease on the road as it is hitting the apex on the track in the hands of a gentleman driver.

The new Ferrari Omologata comes in Rosso Magma finish and sophisticated racing livery.

The Ferrari Omologata project took a little over two years to complete. The idea from the onset was to create a futuristic design with distinctive elements reinterpreted to provide potential for a timeless shape that drew inspiration from racing heritage to sci-fi and references to modern architecture.

To achieve this, the designers unlocked every possible area of freedom from the underlying package of the 812 Superfast, keeping only the windscreen and headlights as existing bodywork elements.

The designers carefully studied the stance and attitude of the car from all angles, defining a tapering front volume from the flattened oval grille. The rounded section over the front wheelarches, emphasized by a contrasting stripe wrapping across the bonnet, seems to naturally extrude from the grille.

The tail is surmounted by a prominent spoiler which adds not only downforce, but a more aggressive, sporty stance. Overall, the car appears to be poised to attack the tarmac even at a standstill.

Omologata was indeed a keyword that resonated throughout the development of this, the 10th front-engined V12 one-off Ferrari has delivered since the 2009 P540 Superfast Aperta.

The ultimate touch went as far as developing a new shade of red just for the livery, to match the fiery triple-layer Rosso Magma over darkened carbon-fibre finish.

Inside the car, the electric blue seats, finished in a tasteful combination of leather and Jeans Aunde fabric with 4-point racing harnesses, stand out against a full black interior.

In the absence of rear quarter lights and screen, the atmosphere in the cabin is purposeful, reminiscent of times past.

Metal parts on the dashboard and steering wheel are finished with the crackled paint effect associated with the great GT racers of the 1950s and 1960s as well as with Ferrari’s engine cam covers.

A hammered paint effect so often used in cars such as the 250 LM and 250 GTO finds its way on details such as the inner door handles and on the Ferrari F1 bridge.

The Omologata is a fitting one-off exercise which manages to encompass a range of subtle Ferrari signature design cues without being too nostalgic.