Why haven't submarine cars made a splash?

The Rinspeed sQuba.
LONDON: Considering how quickly automotive technology moves on and how closely the cars that appear in Bond films reflect innovations that will soon become a production reality, it's amazing that no company has yet cracked the market for a sportscar that converts into a submarine and back again.

When Pierce Brosnan pulled out a cell phone and used it to drive his BMW 7 Series in "Tomorrow Never Dies," people laughed. But exactly 20 years on, your BMW can indeed drive itself and with the touch of a button or the swipe of a smartphone screen will go and park itself or pull out of a space and pull up in front of you.

It's been twice as long since "The Spy Who Loved me hit the big screen" - it celebrates its 40th anniversary this month - however, a 2017 Lotus, no matter in which trim specification, still doesn't double as a submarine if driven at speed off a pier in Sardinia.

But that doesn't mean that companies haven't been trying to solve the problem of how to turn a car into a sub-aquatic means of personal mobility and most of them admit that the 1977 film was their inspiration for doing so.

Rinspeed sQuba

To date, the closest to a genuine submarine car is the Rinspeed sQuba, which is based on a Lotus body in a direct nod to the original.

It really can drive on land and on the sea bed. Unfortunately its wheels don't fold up. Rather the completely open-top car initially floats on the surface. Hitting a switch makes the car fill with water and submerge and a laser guidance system enables it to drive along the sea bed. However, the driver and passenger at this point will have needed to don masks and breathing apparatus.

The battery-powered car can manage 80 miles on land at speeds of up to 75mph on dry land, or it can remain submerged at a speed of 2 knots and at depths of up to 10 meters, for three hours.

Gibbs Quadski

For those who want a vehicle that physically converts, look no further than the Gibbs Quadski. It's a quadbike on land and a jet ski, complete with folding wheels on water and is capable of doing 45mph up to and beyond the water's edge. However, this particular aquatic vehicle will not submerge.

For those that feel quadbikes are too dangerous or uncomfortable, Gibbs also offers an aquatic open-top car that seats three. Called the Aquada, it can hit speeds equivalent to 72kph on water and 160kph on land and in 2004 was used by Sir Richard Branson to cross the English Channel in in one hour, 40 minutes and six seconds, setting a new world record for an amphibious vehicle in the process.

WaterCar Panther

For those looking for something on-trend, US company WaterCar has started making a name for itself with its amphibious SUV the Panther. Though each one is a custom-built car, every model is capable of 88kph on land and 70kph across, but unfortunately not underwater.


Daimler CEO promises fresh approach after bumpy start in role

                FRANKFURT: Ola Kallenius got off to a shaky start at the helm of Daimler AG, presiding over three profit warnings since last May as legal costs, tariff threats and swollen development spending marred his coronation after he took over from longtime boss Dieter Zetsche.

The new chief executive officer sought to draw a line under the turbulent period at the German luxury-car maker on Tuesday when he tempered a drastic cut in the dividend with the promise of a brighter year ahead.

The 50-year-old executive vowed to deliver "significantly” higher profit by squeezing out costs and capping investments, while committing to a more decisive push into electric cars. Daimler will also review non-core operations to channel more money into automaking.

"This company is going to change fundamentally,” Kallenius told investors near Daimler’s home base of Stuttgart. While it won’t be easy, "we will work 24/7 to make this happen, to make this somewhat of a turning point.”

"The tone from CEO Kallenius was uncompromising, suggesting a united and concerted effort to turn Daimler around,” Redburn analyst Timm Schulze-Melander said in a note. "However, a quick top-down glance suggests things may be far from straightforward.”

Nine months into the job, the Swedish executive has struggled to make headway on a planned restructuring push. Earnings before interest and taxes slumped by 61% in 2019, hampered by production hiccups and ballooning expenses to fix diesel vehicles.

The problems aren’t going away. Fresh allegations of diesel-cheating, years after the scandal broke at competitor Volkswagen AG, have burdened Daimler with mounting recall and legal costs. And the company, which was slower than VW to electrify its fleet, now faces rising competition from Tesla Inc., which plans to build a factory outside Berlin.

With a market value of about €46 billion (RM207bil), Daimler is worth less than half of the much-smaller Tesla, and is the worst performer on Germany’s benchmark DAX index this year.

Still, there is cause for optimism, according to Harald Hendrikse, an analyst with Morgan Stanley.

Daimler should see a trough in profit margins this year, and he’s confident free cash flow bottomed in 2019 given the newfound investment discipline and the two-thirds drop in the dividend, which brought the payout to its lowest point since 2010, when it was eliminated in the wake of the the global financial crisis.

"Management is improving the decision-making,” Hendrikse said. "Daimler metrics should improve from here.”

While Kallenius expects the efficiency measures to unleash a turnaround, the CEO faces outside obstacles to contend with as well — everything from the persistent threat of higher tariffs to the coronavirus outbreak in its largest market, China.

The profit rebound will be slowed by restructuring costs totaling about €2 billion through 2022, according to chief financial officer Harald Wilhelm. And luxury unit Mercedes-Benz has a challenge meeting stricter European Union emission tests that come with the threat of hefty fines, Kallenius said.

Mercedes-Benz average fleet emission stood at 137 grams last year, much higher than the 95-gram limit stipulated under European rules that start taking effect this year.

"I cannot guarantee” that Mercedes-Benz will comply with EU emission rules, "but we should be within striking distance,” Kallenius said.

Job cuts are a critical component of Kallenius’s effort to make the manufacturer leaner. While Daimler didn’t detail any new personnel changes, the carmaker said last year it would eliminate more than 10,000 positions worldwide, using voluntary measures such as early retirement and attrition. On Tuesday, Kallenius said the savings on labour will top €1.4 billion (RM6.3bil) by 2022.

He also said that while the heavy-trucks division remains a core business, a new group structure introduced last year keeps Daimler’s options open should the management board change its mind in the future about deeper structural changes within its organisation.

Alongside moves to rein in spending, Kallenius has outlined plans to introduce more than 20 new plug-in hybrid and fully-electric Mercedes cars by 2022.

Mercedes-Benz will unveil a fresh iteration of its S-Class flagship sedan this year and roll out the EQA, a compact electric SUV that will flank the slightly larger EQC and the EQV minivan. The brand plans to quadruple the share of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles in its deliveries this year, the company said.

Kallenius also confirmed Daimler will cull the slow-selling Mercedes X-Class pickup truck.

It’s a big list, and for many investors, the case is the CEO’s to prove.

"Self-help measures are only expected to slowly improve profitability,” said Marc-Rene Tonn, an analyst with Warburg Research.

"We would like to see some evidence that the targeted improvements will ultimately be sufficient to lift earnings before granting early praise for the measures.”


China's the place to pick up world’s cheapest Tesla

                SINGAPORE: Tesla Inc’s Model Y has been a smash-hit worldwide – on track to rank among the top five best-selling models this year and the only electric car to make the cut.

More than 500,000 were snapped up in the first nine months, but depending on which country you live in, you may be forking out vastly different sums.

Mainland China is the world’s cheapest place to buy a Model Y.

After last month’s price cuts, the Model Y starts at 288,900 yuan (US$40,500 or RM181,440), slightly over half the United States retail price.

At the other end of the spectrum, Singapore is the world’s most expensive place to own a Tesla: getting the four-door SUV in the island state will set you back a hefty S$142,471 (US$103,800 or RM465,024) – and that’s before excise and registration duties, which can double the overall price tag.

Bloomberg compiled the most and least expensive places to buy a Model Y, based on the starting cash price shown on Tesla’s official website for each country and region.

Here’s the leaderboard:

“Automobiles are generally more expensive in places like Singapore and Israel due to higher taxes, duties and registration fees versus China and Europe,” said Seth Goldstein, an equity strategist at Morningstar Research Services and chair of its electric vehicle (EV) committee. Supply and demand, as well as the level of competition in the market are also pricing factors.

Indeed, buying a Tesla in Singapore could cost as much as an apartment. Cars in the city-state are so expensive because there are only a limited number of ownership permits (aimed at controlling traffic growth on the small island). Those permits must be bid for at twice-monthly auctions and allow a driver to own a car for 10 years.

For a Tesla, permits rose to a record S$116,577 (RM378,966) in November – nearly as much as a Model Y itself.

The steep price tag hasn’t deterred some from making the leap. Finance professional Alexander Ang bought a Model Y in June and took delivery of the EV in September. It’s his first-ever electric car.

“Sure, it’s definitely expensive but it’s the same for any car in Singapore,” Ang said.

“A similar-sized EV from other manufacturers is more expensive than Tesla because of additional dealership charges and they don’t have as much legroom in the rear.”

Ang doesn’t necessarily consider himself a Tesla fan but says the company gave him “the most bang for my buck” in terms of driving experience. Cheaper electric car options are far and few between in Singapore, especially for the size of vehicle he wanted. “The choices were limited,” he said.

An entirely different story is playing out in China – the world’s largest EV market and a fiercely competitive one.

A phalanx of local rivals from legacy automakers like BYD Co to upstarts like Nio Inc are rapidly closing in on Tesla with new model launches and sales promotions. Domestic automakers accounted for almost 80% of EV sales in the first seven months of 2022, according to China’s Passenger Car Association.

To compete, Tesla has unleashed a slate of marketing tactics to lure customers after price changes in October, including extending insurance subsidies for new buyers, reinstating a user referral programme and even advertising on local TV.

That’s as its sales in the country fall from a peak, with wait times shrinking to as little as one week from as long as 22 earlier this year – a sign of slowing order intake and reflecting the fact Tesla recently upgraded production capacity in Shanghai.

Uneven demand in China, from which Tesla derives almost one-quarter of its revenue, may have the potential to derail chief executive officer Elon Musk’s ambitious target of 50% annual global sales growth for years to come.

Additional price cuts could also be in store for Tesla’s other key markets, including the United States and Europe, according to Morningstar’s Goldstein.

“If we see an economic slowdown in 2023, we could see commodity prices fall, so input costs would go down,” he said.

“If this happens, I’d expect Tesla and most other automakers would cut prices again to boost demand.” Musk himself signalled that possibility as well earlier this year.

Regardless, amid news on last quarter’s faltering vehicle deliveries, it’s easy to miss just exactly how well the Model Y is doing. The SUV is broadly on pace to sell 760,000 units in 2022, according to BloombergNEF estimates.

As new factories in Austin, Texas, and near Berlin ramp up into 2023, Tesla may finally be able to lay claim to the best-selling vehicle in the world – as Musk himself boldly predicted last year.


Hyundai Tucson diesel driven

                Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are in demand right now and Korean marque Hyundai has the Tucson on offer which now comes with two new engine variants: a Gamma 1.6 T-GDI turbo petrol and R 2.0 CRDi diesel.

Previously, the Tucson came standard came with the Nu 2.0 MPi engine with an ouput of 155PS.

The new turbo petrol and diesel engine ups the game with a much higher output of 177PS and 178PS respectively.

These front wheel drive urban warriors offer more power for your driving pleasure and we got our hands on the 2.0L diesel which is the focus of this review.

Exterior

Design-wise, this is a big, bold SUV with a commanding front fascia what with its chunky grille slats and chrome trims.

The striking LED headlamps flair out to the sides without any hint of subtlety and on top of that sits the sizeable hood.

And you are not going to miss the sculpted front bumper which houses the foglamps and LED daytime-running lights (DRLs).

While it is all business in the front, the SUV gets sportier with its slanted roofline to the rear and an atheletic stance.

The sharp creases on the body also adds a sense of power to the overall design.

Performance

The Tucson R 2.0 CRDi diesel engine produces 178PS at 4,000rpm and 400Nm of torque between 1,750rpm-2,750rpm.

The transmission is a 6-speed automatic and this combination is potent as peak torque already kicks-in at a very low RPM.

It is simply effortless to move this SUV with this amount of twisting force and power.

You can also choose how you want to car to behave by pushing the Drive Mode button and you will be able to select between Normal, Sports and Eco modes.

Interior

The test review unit came in black leather seats with red stitching and honeycomb-type pattern which is not only cool to look at but comfortable too.

The driver gets an 8-way powered seat with lumbar support for the optimal seating position and a leather-wrapped steering wheels with audio and cruise-control switches.

The dashboard has a functional design with a flush Android-based Audio Visual Navigator screen and a series of buttons and dials to operate the entertainment system and climate control.

This goes for the very legible instrument cluster as well with a 4.2inch TFT LCD with loads of driver information available at your disposal.

Right down the center you’ll find the gear lever, two cupholders, two 12v charging points, USB and AUX jacks and buttons for Auto Hold, Drive Mode, Downhill Brake Control, Front Parking Sensor and electronic parking brake.

It’s a clear and simple layout which makes it easy to understand and operate without much fuss.

However, the plastics here don’t feel as solid as the competition.

Practicality

The passengers have plenty of leg and headroom and there is the rear-air conditioning vents too so there is constant air-flow throughout the cabin.

Luggage space is more than ample at 488 liters and there is more to be had as the rear seats fold 60:40.

Loading and unloading is a breeze here as the tailgate opens wide at 1,094mm and sits low so you don’t have to strain yourself with your luggage.

Ride & Handling

The Tucson is an enjoyable SUV to drive since it has so much torque that it pulls away easily and you won’t find it wanting when you are going up hill slopes.

Even though the car gives you the perception of being large, it’s an incredibly simple car to manouvre.

The steering is light and the turning radius is good that you can be forgiven to thinking you are driving a small car.

It also gives you confidence behind the wheel as the Tucson hugs corners and turns well.

The suspension set up provides a firm yet comfortable drive yet at the same time, absorbs the impact of undulations and potholes quite nicely.

If you want more out of the Tucson, just select sports mode and you are good to go.

The only complaint here is that the cabin is slightly noisey due to the clatter of the diesel engine.

Safety

-six airbags
-anti-lock braking system (ABS)
-electronic stability control (ESC)
-vehicle stability management (VSM)
-hill-start assist control (HAC)
-downhill brake control (DBC)
-rear and front view camera
-safe driver recorder

Equipment

-keyless entry
-smart key with start stop button
-8-way driver power seat
-LED headlamps with static bending light
-LED daytime running lights
-3 drive modes (normal, sports and eco)
-leather seats
-auto cruise control
-auto brake hold
-powered tailgate
-leather wrapped steering wheels with controls
-audio visual navigation
-AUX, USB, Bluetooth connectivity
-park assist system

Price

RM155,788 (on-the-road without insurance)

Warranty

5 years or 300,000km (terms and conditions apply)

Summary

The Tucson is a well equipped SUV and one of the very few that offers a diesel engine. This engine is fuel efficient - I drove from Petaling Jaya to Putrajaya and back without so much as the fuel needle moving - and, on top of it, comfortable, convenient, powerful and spacious.

The only cons this car has is the audible engine noise coming into the cabin and the plastics used in the interior is just not as comparable to the competition.


Custom instruments for early warnings: Do you really need them?

                BERLIN: Modern cars tend to keep their engine and running system vitals very much to themselves. Apart from a tachometer, which measures the number of engine revolutions, and a water-temperature gauge, most car fascias reveal little of how the drivetrain is performing.

Modern cars are usually fitted with plenty of warning lights, but by the time some of these illuminate, the damage has often been done.

The red "check engine" light is a real beacon of bad news.

It flickers on for anything from a snapped fan-belt — easy to replace — through to a broken timing chain which could spell the death knell for a motor.

When this happens, most handbooks advise the driver to make a beeline for the nearest dealer for an analysis and often expensive repair.

Aftermarket instruments can improve on that by showing whether systems are working properly in real time. Learning to read them properly can also reduce repair bills.

A lot of the gauges on the market go back to car racing, where the driver needs to have all the vitals in view to prevent meltdown.

"Performance drivers need to keep an eye on all of the vital readings," said Harald Schmidtke of Germany's VDAT car tuning federation. Car drivers who enjoy getting the maximum from their vehicles can add these functions by fitting extra instruments.

 A smartphone displays running data from an engine obtained from the OBD interface. — dpa

These can either be incorporated into the dashboard, console or A-pillar or else the readings can be shown on a smartphone display. Instrument nacelles which fix to the top of the fascia are also available.

"Naturally, modern engine electronics do monitor a whole range of processes going on in the vehicle," said Schmidkte. It's just that carmakers do not consider it necessary to inform the driver during a journey.

By connecting a laptop to the onboard computer interface of a stationary car, known as an OBD, a mechanic can scan the motor and anciliary systems for error codes which show that something is awry.

The scan will highlight glitches in oil pressure or temperature, check battery status and whether a turbocharger is spinning properly.

OBD was introduced in the 1990s and has been standard for petrol engines since 2001 and for diesels from 2004, so only older cars will not have it.

Unfortunately code scanners are not usable when a vehicle is out on the highways. This is where additional instruments come in.

Custom gauges used to be all the rage for souped-up and muscle cars but they have gone out of fashion in recent years.

"The classic round gauges such as those showing oil temperature and pressure are usually only found in motor sport these days," said Gunnar Beer, a technical expert from the Auto Club Europa (ACE).

Many catastrophic engine failures could be avoided by glancing at clusters of accurate instruments and stopping the engine in time.

Older drivers will recall that even a slight drop in engine oil pressure is a tell-tale sign that fresh lubricant — the lifeblood of every engine — is needed or that something more is amiss.

By reducing speed and stopping the engine quickly, damage can be prevented.

For those who do not want the dashboard festooned with extra clocks, there are gauge face kits which fasten directly on top of the ex-works instrument panel. The overlays are very thin so they do not get in the way of the existing needles.

The kits are available in plastic, polished stainless steel or thermoplastic to match existing displays.

"A temperature gauge for water and oil is a good idea since modern engines work better when they are warmed up slowly," said Beer.

Manufacturer-installed thermometers only show when the coolant water reaches operating temperature, not the heat of lubricating oil.

"If the oil temperature is under 50 degrees centigrade, a car should not be pushed hard," said the expert.

Installing extra instruments should be left to a workshop, although the ones that perch atop the dash are easier to fit.

Fitting a gauge face kit is more involved, since the dashboard will need to e dismantled and the instrument cluster removed to mount the new overlay. This can take hours and is not a task for beginners.

Smartphone apps which check up on vehicle functions are becoming popular. These use the OBD interface, which was not designed to be tapped while the vehicle is moving. Experts are wary of such apps, since they use an adaptor designed for diagnosis or vehicle testing.

Firms which make these adaptors warn that using these permanently will void a vehicle warranty.


Let AirAsia's Tony Fernandes guide you on Waze

                KUALA LUMPUR: Waze, the free, real-time traffic and navigation app powered by the community of drivers, has launched a voice prompt featuring AirAsia Bhd's co-founder/group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

Fernandes would guide drivers as they navigate local roads using his voice on Waze. "A lot of people ask me what it's like being an AirAsia pilot. Now you can experience what it's like to fly high in the sky interacting with me as your air traffic control.

"And like real air traffic control, I can't make any promises about the congestion but I can promise that with Waze, we will get you there the quickest and least boring way possible," Fernandes said in a statement here on Wednesday.

Waze Malaysia sales manager Edward Ling said it was delighted to bring Fernandes' voice to Waze, guiding "Wazers" along a route as if from a tower control.

"Voice prompts are one of our most popular features and a great way to bring a brand to life within the context of a drive. Fernandes' voice navigations will make him your co-pilot on any route, making you feel like you're flying while you are driving," Ling said.


Perodua seeks ministry's help to eradicate fake car parts

From left: Zahari with Suhaimi.
RAWANG: Perodua is working with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to stamp out the rise of imitation car parts.

It met with 120 enforcement officers from the ministry at its headquarters here yesterday. Together with selected service dealers and stockists, the car maker presented a briefing to the visitors, led by the ministry's deputy director of enforcement (prevention) Tuan Suhaimi Mat Sari.

The briefing acquainted them with Perodua’s range of products and parts, where they are sold, the logistics flow and how to distinguish between real and fake items.

 Zahari (front, centre) and Suhaimi with the ministry's enforcement officers at Perodua headquarters.

Perodua Sales managing director Datuk Dr Zahari Husin said some of the fake parts were almost indistinguishable from the original parts. These included lubricants, oil filters, shock absorbers and brake pads, he said.

“Customers may be misled into buying and using such items, which have not been tested by Perodua, on their vehicles. Besides voiding warranties, this could greatly jeopardise the safety and running condition of their vehicles.

“We hope that the engagement session was informative and insightful and that it will help them in their duties to identify, pinpoint and put the brakes on counterfeit Perodua products and parts in the market,” said Zahari.

“We urge the public to only buy and use genuine products and parts from authorised Perodua stockists or from any of our 179 authorised Perodua service centres nationwide and as an alternative, we have the ProGanti range of parts that’s easier on the wallet but still tested and approved by Perodua".


Rimac Automobil to unveil second EV hypercar in Geneva

                ZAGREB (Croatia): Rimac Automobil isn't exactly a household name when it comes to the global auto industry. But it's one of a new breed of manufacturer producing all-electric hypercars that could eventually bring about the end of the internal combustion engine in the most exotic performance cars.

And at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March, the Croatian company will be taking the wraps off its second electric hypercar, which currently has the somewhat unremarkable working title of "Concept Two."

It's expected that the proper name of the new car will be revealed at or before the Geneva show, but in the meantime Rimac has released a teaser video and a few details of what to expect when the car is properly launched.

The company may only be nine years old, but the video it has released to create interest in its latest new model is every bit as good as anything the biggest names from Europe and America put out.

If Rimac isn't familiar to you, it's possibly best known as the maker of the car Richard Hammond crashed so spectacularly during the filming of the second series of "The Grand Tour." That car was the Concept One, and Rimac only actually built eight of them in total. The company's CEO, Monika Mikac, has said they intend to build 100 units of the new model, they will be bigger and even more powerful the Concept One, and 20 of them will be ready to be sold this year.

Those are ambitious claims as the first car was an all-wheel drive model that developed a staggering 1,224hp, 1,604Nm of torque, and had a maximum range on a single charge of 330km. It's entirely possible then that the new car could improve upon the previous model's top speed of 354kph, but it could also exceed the Concept One's asking price of one million euros (RM4.8mil) too.


More design awards for Hyundai

                FRANKFURT: The new Hyundai Elantra and Tucson recently won accolades from the prestigious iF Design Awards jury.

The cars won the iF Design Award 2016 in the Product discipline, under the Automobiles-Vehicles-Bikes category.

The awards were won by Hyundai following a rigorous judging process, involving almost 5,000 entries from 53 countries.

Organised by iF International Forum Design GmbH, the awards recognise outstanding design across various disciplines and categories.

For more than 60 years, iF Design Awards have been acknowledged as a symbol of design excellence.

This further validates Hyundai’s continuous strive for design and quality excellence, as its cars won iF Design awards for three consecutive years, with Genesis awarded in 2014 and i20 in 2015.

The new Elantra embraces Hyundai’s Modern Premium brand direction, and has a large hexagonal grille paired with slim and sporty headlights for an energetic look.

Meanwhile, the new Tucson compact SUV has a bold and athletic presence with refined, flowing surfaces, bold proportions, sharp lines and Hyundai’s signature hexagonal grille.


Motorcycle airbags: Don't worry, you won't inflate them by accident

A motorcycle airbag vest. — Image from Amazon.com
BERLIN: Airbags for motorcyclists can reduce the risk of injury from falls at high speeds. It takes just milliseconds for them to be deployed electronically or mechanically.

These safety systems are available as jackets, vests and as integrated solutions in various price ranges.

But more than a few bikers have expressed concerns that mechanical systems in particular might be as much of a hazard as they are a safety advantage, if they somehow accidentally inflate while your riding.

In theory, it could happen when dismounting without unbuckling, as a rip cord is attached to the motorcycle.

But in practice, this is virtually impossible, bicycle safety experts say. Depending on the model, the force required to release the cord and trigger inflation is between 20 and 30 kilos, says Germany's Institute for Bike Safety (ifz).

That means anyone who accidentally forgets to unbuckle will feel a strong pull on their jacket, meaning you'd need to give an almighty tug to accidentally inflate the airbags.


Bangkok International Motor Show 2023: Mitsubishi Triton successor concept on display

                BANGKOK: Mitsubishi Motors Corp is displaying the Mitsubishi XRT Concept – a concept car of the all-new Triton pick-up truck planned for launch in the fiscal year 2023 – at the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show 2023 running from today to April 2.

The Triton is Mitsubishi Motors' top-selling model manufactured at the Laemchabang Factory in Thailand and the company's global strategic vehicle exported to about 150 countries around the world.

With its first full redesign in approximately nine years, the all-new Triton will be the sixth generation of the brand's mid-size pick-up truck.

 Kato presenting the XRT Concept at the show.

Expected to be launched in Thailand in July, the model will be introduced sequentially in the Asean region, Oceania and other global markets.

The XRT Concept features a fierce expression on the front and a robust hood that continues to the side with bold, horizontally-themed styling.

The concept vehicle also gets front and rear over fenders as well as mud-terrain tyres, giving it the powerful drive to compete in gruelling rallies and the dynamism across difficult terrain.

The body features a camouflage design inspired by lava rocks packed with condensed energy, and the sides have been adorned with a graphic of the 10-parallel line Ralliart brand icon that expresses Mitsubishi Motors' passion for driving.

At the Asia Cross Country Rally 2023, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, which receives technical support from Mitsubishi Motors, plans to compete with a prototype cross-country model of the all-new Triton (Group T1 specifications) in its quest for a second straight victory.

Two-time Dakar Rally champion driver in 2002 and 2003, Hiroshi Masuoka, will stay on as team director, and Mitsubishi Motors engineers will perform pre-testing and accompany the team to provide support at the rally.

Mitsubishi Motors uses expertise gained from rallies as feedback in the development of its production vehicles, as it seeks to create vehicles with Mitsubishi Motors-ness, which deliver safe, comfortable driving enjoyment in any weather or road conditions.

Mitsubishi Motors president and chief executive officer Takao Kato said the fiscal year 2023 is an important year for the company to accelerate its business in the Asean region, with the launch of a fully revamped Triton and an all-new compact SUV.

"The all-new Triton is going through final touch-ups in preparation for its release, as we have performed rigorous endurance tests around the world while also incorporating the know-how gained from rally activities.

"With the new vehicle launches as the centrepiece, we will continue our drive toward further growth," he said.

XRT Concept


Toyota chief’s warning to Apple: The car business isn’t easy

                TOKYO: Toyota president Akio Toyoda offered a warning to Apple Inc., which is plotting a foray into the auto industry: There’s more to the business of selling cars than just having the technology to produce them.

The automotive industry welcomes new entrants, “but after making a vehicle, I’d like them to be prepared to deal with customers and various changes for some 40 years,” Toyoda said at a news conference held Thursday by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, where he is the chairman.

Although it will probably take Apple at least half a decade to launch its planned autonomous, electric vehicle, the technology giant has been creating waves within the car industry recently as it approaches a wide range of automakers that are seen as potential contenders for a vehicle partnership.

The Cupertino, California-based company’s entry into the car market has sparked fear among some legacy automakers concerned about the potential disruptiveness of an Apple-branded vehicle. These concerns may be one of the reasons discussions between Apple and some firms have apparently fizzled in recent months, with Hyundai Motor Co. and others backtracking after saying they were in talks.

The world’s largest and second-largest automakers, Toyota and Volkswagen AG appear less concerned.

Volkswagen chief Herbert Diess said that he wasn’t afraid of Apple’s entry in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in February. The car sector is different from the technology industry, and Apple “won’t manage to take it over overnight,” he said.

New tech firms joining “has the potential to breathe new life into the auto industry and give customers a wider range of choices,” Toyoda said. But their entry needs to be “fair” to consumers, in that they need to be prepared to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of their vehicles, from maintenance to eventual scrapping, he said.

This isn’t the first time Toyoda has been dismissive of new entrants.

In a briefing in November, Toyoda said that Tesla Inc. isn’t making “real products.”

Tesla, which overtook Toyota as the world’s most valuable automaker last year, may be winning in terms of market value, Toyoda said.

But Toyota has what the Fremont, California-based automaker doesn’t: experience making more than 100 million cars.


Chevrolet introduces 2016 Volt

                DETROIT: Chevrolet today unveiled the all-new 2016 Volt electric car with extended range, showcasing a sleeker, sportier design that offers 80km of EV range, greater efficiency and stronger acceleration.

The Volt’s new, efficient propulsion system will offer a General Motors’-estimated total driving range of more than 644km and with regular charging, owners are expected to travel more than 1,609km on average between gas fill-ups.

“The 2016 Chevrolet Volt provides our owners with a no-compromise electric driving experience,” said Alan Batey, president of GM North America. “We believe our engineering prowess combined with data from thousands of customers allows us to deliver the most capable plug-in vehicle in the industry.”

The 2016 Chevrolet Volt’s technology and range advancements are complemented by a design that blends sculpted, muscular proportions with aerodynamic efficiency, and an all-new interior with seating for five and improved functionality.

Everything from charging the battery and checking the charge status, to the intuitiveness of instrument panel controls were designed for easier use.

“According to independent surveyors, Volt owners are the most satisfied in the industry and they were our compass for developing the next-generation model,” said Batey.

Among the 2016 Volt highlights:

> New two-motor drive unit is up to 12 percent more efficient and 45 lighter (45 kg) than the first-generation drive unit
> Two-motor design enables 19 percent stronger zero-to-48kph acceleration
> Battery capacity has increased to 18.4 kWh using 192 cells (96 fewer than current generation) with weight reduced by more than 9kg
> Regen on Demand feature enables driver control of energy regeneration via a convenient paddle on the back of the steering wheel
> New 1.5L range extender, designed to use regular unleaded fuel, offers a combined GM-estimated fuel efficiency of 5.7l/100km (EPA estimate pending)
> Stronger body structure and quieter ride
> New braking system with improved capability and blended Regen feel
> New, five-passenger seating with available rear heated seats
> Location-based charging capability
> 120V portable cord set has a simpler, compact design with more convenient storage location
> Available illuminated charge port

The 2016 Volt goes on sale in the second half of 2015.

Reuters reported that electric cars and plug-ins like the Volt account for less than 1 percent of the global vehicle market, and falling oil prices are widening the cost gap between electrified cars and petroleum-fueled internal combustion engine vehicles.

GM's current Volt has sold well below initial company projections and is a money loser, analysts say. The company doesn't disclose profits by model line. Last year, U.S. sales of the Volt fell almost 19 percent to fewer than 19,000 vehicles.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne last May asked consumers to steer clear of his company’s Fiat 500e.

"I hope you don't buy it because every time I sell one it costs me US$14,000 (around RM50,000)," he said.

Still, GM and its major rivals persist in their efforts because without “zero-emission” vehicles and ultra-high mileage hybrids, they could fall short of meeting government demands to more than double fuel efficiency by 2025. In addition, California has set its own quotas for zero-emission vehicle sales, and China is pushing the industry for more battery-powered vehicles.

Nissan Motor Co, maker of the all-electric Leaf, is the leading seller of mass-market electric cars, and CEO Carlos Ghosn has stood by his bet on battery-electric vehicles, even with gas prices falling. The Leaf, however, can travel only 135km between charges, according to government ratings. That distance is too short for many US drivers.


Tokyo Motor Show 2019: Subaru Levorg Prototype

                TOKYO: The all-new Subaru Levorg Prototype had its world premiere at the 46th Tokyo Motor Show 2019.

The performance wagon, powered by a newly developed 1.8-litre Boxer direct-injection turbo engine, uses the new-generation EyeSight safety techonlogy, which consists of a new stereo camera with wider viewing angle and four radars.

Set to go on sale in Japan in the second half of 2020, the new Levorg wagon comes with a 360-degree view system around the vehicle and an expanded range of pre-collision braking operations to cover crossing and turning at intersections with low visibility.

A vehicle locator precisely detects the vehicle position by using information from GPS and Michibiki (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System).

In combination with high-definition map data, the vehicle recognizes the shape of highway ahead, reduces speed before going into a curve and assists hands-free driving in traffic congestion.

Based on Subaru’s “Grand Touring philosophy,” the all-new Levorg also uses an improved Subaru Global Platform with higher body rigidity.


Lamborghini expedition in exotic locales

SANT'AGATA BOLOGNESE: Along the challenging Trollstigen road and the Geirangerfjord in Norway was the setting for Lamborghini Avventura 2018: the series of Lamborghini car expeditions to discover the most spectacular places and roads in the world.Following previous events in Andalusia and Transylvania, this year it was Norway’s turn, along a route of almost 500km between the sea, mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and the midnight sun.The convoy started off from Ålesund, a picturesque Art Nouveau town in the northern part of the region of the fjords on small interconnected islands.From there, the Lamborghinis challenged the mythical Trollstigen, commonly known as the road of the Trolls, legendary creatures of Norwegian folklore with grotesque human features.A masterpiece of road engineering, the Trollstigen was completed in 1936 following eight years of work, and winds along eleven hairpin turns that climb dizzily up a vertical wall of rock and waterfalls.The Lamborghini group continued through Valldal, the valley of strawberries, and on to Geirangerfjord, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and featured on every list of the most spectacular places in the world.The adventure continued across the Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier in Europe, and the convoy of super sports cars demonstrated the utmost reliability even on a dirt road with a lunar landscape.After a rest stop in the quiet village of Loen, situated at the end of an arm of the Nordfjord, and ferryboat transfers, the group finally arrived at Mount Aksla, which overlooks the fairy-tale town of Ålesund.


Europe thinks like China in building own battery industry

                BRUSSELS: The European Union is starting to act like China when it comes to building the batteries that will drive the next generation of cars and trucks.

In the past few months, government officials led by European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic have joined with manufacturers, development banks and commercial lenders on measures that will channel more than 100 billion euros (RM467bil) into a supply chain for the lithium-ion packs that will power electric cars.

Germany and France are prodding for action out of concern that China is racing ahead in new technologies sweeping the auto industry. With 13.8 million jobs representing 6.1% of employment linked to traditional auto manufacturing in the EU, authorities want to ensure that manufacturers can pivot toward supplying electric cars and batteries.

"We are walking the talk,” Sefcovic said in remarks to Bloomberg. "We have overcome an initial resignation that this battle would be a lost one for Europe.”

A number of trends are catalysing the programme, starting with the determination by EU nations to rein in greenhouse gases and fight climate change.

They’re increasingly focused on reducing pollution from diesel engines and alarmed at the head start Chinese companies have in greener technologies. French president Emmanuel Macron in February said he "cannot be happy with a situation where 100% of the batteries of my electric vehicles are produced in Asia.”

Drivetrains go electric

So far, the EU’s programme is starting to work and putting Europe on track to wrest market share away from China. By 2025, European companies that currently lack a single large battery maker will rival the US in terms of capacity, according to forecasts from BloombergNEF. Measures that will spur investment include:

> France and Germany are working on measures to channel billions of euros into the Battery Industry. Sefcovic has said the EC may be able to embrace the state-aid proposal as a special project by the end of October. The two nations are seeking to draw in additional support from Spain, Sweden and Poland.
> The European Investment Bank gave preliminary approval in May to a 350 million-euro loan supporting NorthVolt AB’s bid to build a battery gigafactory in Sweden after the company completed a fund raising.
> The EIB along with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development are working on a "raw materials investment facility” that will help to build a supply chain for rare Earth metals needed for batteries, according to Sefcovic who says he hopes the program will be launched by the end of the year.
> The EU in May started a 100 million-euro Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund with Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and other investors to advance the energy transition, which is likely to include batteries.
> The EC has gathered at least 260 industrial companies including Peugeot SA, Total SA and Siemens AG in an alliance aimed at building capacity to make the energy storage devices in Europe.

"A year or two ago, everyone was under the impression that it was already too late for Europe,” said James Frith, an energy storage analyst at BloombergNEF in London. "But they’ve made a commitment, and Europe is in a strong position now.”

By 2025, Europe may control 11% of global battery cell manufacturing capacity, up from 4% now, according to Frith. That will pare back China’s market share and rival the US command of the industry.

The EC estimates the battery market may be worth 250 billion euros a year by then. It estimates at least 100 billion euros already has been committed to battery factories or their suppliers in Europe.

The goal is to build enterprises in Europe that could supply the region’s automakers without requiring imports from the major battery manufacturing centers in Asia. Currently, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, and BYD Co. dominate production in China. Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. is also building battery gigafactories in the United States.

So far, Europe has no established battery supply chain, though it has drawn investment in local factories from Korean firms including LG Chem Ltd. and Samsung SDI Co. as well as CATL.

The new ambition of the commission is to stimulate companies big enough to supply the likes of BMW AG and Volkswagen AG, which plan a massive increase in electric car production. Across the industry, the outlook is for a rising portion of cars to run on batteries in the coming years.

No monopoly

No single company will get the lion’s share of the investment or aid. Instead, dozens will benefit in addition to Peugeot and Total, which are building a cell plant in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Funds will also trickle into suppliers of parts or raw materials including Siemens, Umicore SA, Solvay SA and Manz AG.

Scarred by losing control of the solar industry in the last decade, Germany is leading the push. The nation was the biggest producer of solar cells in the early 2000s before Chinese companies backed by government loans took the lead.

When it comes to batteries, Economy and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier is focused on the 800,000 jobs in Germany tied directly to car manufacturing. Batteries account for about a third of the value of an electric car, and without facilities to make those in Europe, more jobs will go to Asia, Altmaier has said.

"There’s going to be huge demand in Europe for battery cells,” Altmaier said on ARD Television in June. "We must have the ambition to build the best battery cells in the world in Europe and Germany.”

Sefcovic envisions 10 or 20 "gigafactories” making battery cells across Europe and with his support the European Battery Alliance is seeking to coordinate research that will be the foundation of the plan. NorthVolt intends to be one of the major battery makers, feeding BMW and other major automakers.

"If we want to be one of the major manufacturers in Europe by 2030 we need to build about 150 gigawatt-hours of capacity,’’ said NorthVolt chief executive officer Peter Carlsson.

"The customer demand is so strong that we are accelerating our plans. We have taken a huge step on the way to create a new Swedish industry that will have a big impact in cutting our dependence of fossil fuels.’’


Mazda starts MX-30 EV production

                HIROSHIMA: Mazda has started production of the MX-30, the company's first all-electric vehicle, at Ujina plant No. 1 in Hiroshima, Japan.

The new MX-30 five-seater SUV has a front-wheel-drive powertrain that combines a 107kW (145ps) AC synchronous electric motor with a 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery, providing a driving range of 200km (WLTP combined).

The battery can be charged to 80% within 40 minutes using DC rapid charging.

The MX-30 EV (electric vehicle) uses Mazda's award-winning Kodo design philosophy, and features centre-pillarless freestyle doors and a framed glasshouse that hint at the open, spacious feeling of the cabin.

The interior features a driver-centric cockpit, a floating centre console, Mazda's first seven-inch touch-screen air-conditioning panel, and a range of new, environmentally friendly materials such as cork and door trim fabric incorporating fibres from recycled plastic bottles.

Standard equipment includes a windscreen projecting head-up display, 8-way electric adjustable drivers’ seat, a colour 7-inch TFT dial display, a leather wrapped steering wheel and chrome trim accents.

The MX-30 will arrive in the UK in early 2021.


Four resign over scandal at Toyota unit Hino, others to return pay

                TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp's truck- and bus-making unit Hino Motors said today four officials would step down and it would demand the return of some compensation from past managers, following an engine data scandal.

Three executives overseeing production and compliance and a senior official in charge of technology development would resign, Hino said in a statement.

"Hino is committed to reflecting seriously on our past mistakes," it added, vowing to bring about lasting change. "Our actions have greatly affected customers and other stakeholders."

The firm will also demand the return of some compensation from former managers in roles from 2003, and others identified in a company-commissioned investigation report as being involved in a problematic environment.

Current president Satoshi Ogiso, who long worked for Toyota and took the role in 2021, will keep his position but return half his compensation every month for six months. Others face pay cuts up to 30% for three months or demotion.

In a statement after the Hino announcement, Toyota said it would share know-how with Hino, such as ways to respond to suppliers affected by the issue.

The scandal has tarnished Hino's reputation as it admitted to falsifying data on some engines dating to 2003, or at least a decade earlier than originally indicated.

A total of about 640,000 vehicles have been affected, or more than five times the figure initially revealed.

In an August report, the investigative committee tasked by Hino blamed the scandal on an environment in which engineers did not feel able to challenge superiors.

But a transport ministry investigation after release of the report found additional misconduct in engine data tests for smaller trucks, forcing a suspension of those shipments.

Hino became a Toyota subsidiary in 2001 and nearly all Hino presidents since have been Toyota employees.


Jeep Store by Amazon launched

AUBURN HILLS: The Jeep brand's unique “go anywhere, do anything” spirit is now available in the official Jeep Store by Amazon.

Jeep enthusiasts can shop hundreds of options for authentic Jeep brand licensed gear and merchandise, specifically designed to experience life’s adventures, through the official Amazon store.

“Opening our Jeep storefront on Amazon gives our owners, fans and followers in the US and Canada the opportunity to embrace the Jeep lifestyle by offering hundreds of officially licensed merchandise and gear across one seamless site,” said Marissa Hunter, Head of Marketing, FCA - North America.

Licensed products and merchandise in the Jeep Store by Amazon include apparel, adventure/camping gear, iconic collections, children’s merchandise, home products and accessories (phone cases, ear buds, key chains), available to enthusiasts just in time for the holidays.


Ford plans to launch Ranger pickup truck in China in 2018

                SHANGHAI: Ford Motor Co plans to launch its mid-size Ranger pickup truck in China in 2018, hoping to draw more Chinese consumers, who generally prefer sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), towards a new segment of cars.

Ford would import the Ranger to China and currently has no plans to manufacture it locally, a spokesman said.

The Chinese government's pilot programme to relax policies that restrict pickup trucks from driving in urban areas is a potential boon for Ford, whose F-series pickup truck has been a bestseller in the United States for more than 30 years.

At present, the Ranger is targeting markets outside the United States. However, Ford plans to re-introduce the model, which is smaller than the F-150, the entry-level F-series truck, in the country.

Last year, Ford announced plans to sell the high-end Raptor version of the F-150 in China, to gauge demand in a relatively undeveloped segment and change the image of the pickup as a low-end workhorse in China. The first Raptor F150s will be delivered to customers on Saturday.

The pickup offerings come as wealthy Chinese motorists look to buy larger cars, with SUVs driving growth in Chinese automobile sales amid weak demand for sedans.


Tesla signs three-year pricing deal with battery cell maker Panasonic

                SAN FRANCISCO: Tesla Inc has signed a three-year pricing deal with Japan’s Panasonic Corp relating to the manufacture and supply of lithium-ion battery cells at the Gigafactory in Nevada, the electric carmaker disclosed in a filing on Tuesday.

Tesla and Panasonic have been reported to be in talks to expand the battery joint venture’s capacity.

Panasonic hinted in May that it was working to develop new batteries with Tesla, possibly with higher capacity.

Tesla said the deal, signed last week and effective April 1, 2020, sets the terms for production capacity commitments by Panasonic and purchase volume commitments by Tesla over the first two years of the agreement.

Tesla also amended the general terms and conditions of its partnership with Panasonic, modifying the term to expire 10 years after Panasonic achieves certain manufacturing milestones.

Panasonic is no longer Tesla’s exclusive battery supplier, but has been able to turn around the US joint battery business as demand for Tesla’s electric cars soar.

Last month, Tesla reported its third consecutive quarterly profit despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, taking investors by surprise.


Original shape of the Land Rover Defender lives on with Bowler

                LONDON: UK-Based pioneer and producer of off-road competition vehicles, Bowler, has been granted a licence to produce vehicles utilising the classic shape of the Land Rover Defender.

The manufacturer of all-terrain performance cars and rally raid vehicles in the UK signed the agreement that will allow them to develop a new family of high-performance models - starting with project ‘CSP 575’

The project will be a new road-going vehicle with Bowler’s own rally-proven CSP high-strength steel chassis, aluminium alloy Defender 110 Station Wagon body panels and Land Rover’s 575PS Supercharged V8 engine.

Additionally, the project will also supplement the company's ongoing motorsport developments.

In its initial renders, the planned 4X4 vehicle will be a rally-derived model which will be marked as the company's first new model since 2016.

Additional details of the CSP 575 will be revealed in early 2021 with the promise that it will emerge with a combination of "potent performance and motorsport-honed durability" cammed into the classic Defender 110 Station Wagon that's good for four passengers.

Only small quantities of the CSP 575 will be produced at Bowler’s headquarters in Derbyshire in the UK and pricing has been estimated to be around the range of £200,000 (RM1.1mil).


BMW M 1000 RR is dressed up as M RR 50 Years M

                MUNICH: On the car side, BMW AG has unveiled the M4 CSL to mark the 50th anniversary of BMW M GmbH.

On the two-wheeler side, the company's motorcycle division BMW Motorrad has come out with the M 1000 RR 50 Years M anniversary model.

The bike is painted in "Sao Paulo Yellow" with the historic 50 Years BMW M emblem.

With its striking M colours, this anniversary model is touted as living up to the M philosophy and the racing spirit from almost 100 years of motorcycle construction by BMW Motorrad and 50 years of BMW M vehicles.

Its inline-four engine cranks out 205hp; it can sprint from 0-100kph in 3.1s and top speed is limited to 306kph.

The M RR 50 Years M is fitted with the M Competition Package as standard.

In addition to the extensive M milled parts package and the exclusive M carbon package, both a lighter swingarm in silver anodised aluminium, the unlock code for the M GPS laptrigger as well as the M Endurance chain, pillion package and pillion seat cover are part of the standard equipment.

At the end of 2018, BMW Motorrad already introduced the successful BMW M automobile range strategy for motorcycles and has since been offering M special equipment and M Performance Parts.

The BMW M 1000 RR - known as the M RR for short - celebrated its world premiere in September 2020 as the first M model from BMW Motorrad based on the S 1000 RR.

The BMW M RR has also been the base bike for the BMW Motorrad World SBK Team since 2021, as well as many other racing teams around the world.

Priced from US$37,000 (RM163,000), the M RR 50 Years M model is opened for booking from now until Nov 30.


US consumers want to buy cars on the web

                SAN JOSE: The overwhelming majority of consumers are now happy to look to the Internet when researching a car to buy. However, men are twice as likely as women to feel confident enough to complete the entire car shopping journey online.

According to eBay Advertising, 87% of those in the market for a new set of wheels cite the web as a crucial part of the car shopping process, whether checking price comparison sites or reading reviews.

The two-part study, which polled the opinions of 1,000 US consumers who had bought a car within the past six months and then compared the findings with data from its eBay Motors portal based on purchases made by 1,000 users, also found that 63% of consumers are already prepared to buy a car completely online in the near future.

"Technology continues to evolve the automotive shopping journey," said Josh Wetzel, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at eBay Advertising. "As more consumers continue to embrace automotive ecommerce for vehicles, enhanced experiences and technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence will continue to drive a larger shift to online purchasing."

This "shift"' is why BMW in January launched an augmented reality app, developed by Accenture, that will enable anyone with a Google Tango-enabled handset to take a virtual tour of a BMW i8 or i3 designed to their specifications.

"Our research shows that consumers are seeking improved use of technologies like augmented reality during the car-buying process to make the online-offline experience more compelling," said Christina Raab, managing director in Accenture's Automotive practice.

Research by JD Power has also noted a trend towards car buyers looking to social media for advice and guidance as an attempt to avoid sales assistants at dealerships.

"Social media plays a large role in many consumers' lives, so it's not surprising that it's one of the tools they're using during the vehicle-shopping process," said Mike Battaglia, vice president, automotive retail at J.D. Power.

According to eBay men are twice as likely as women to feel comfortable buying a car entirely online. Even though women usually index higher on studies related to anxiety when dealing with sales assistants at car dealerships, those polled by eBay feel the need to buy in person so they can take a test drive.

But even this problem could soon be solved. Nissan is partnering with Amazon in Japan so potential customers can order a test drive via Amazon's site or apps. All they have to do is book a slot and the car will arrive at their door along with a member of Nissan's staff.


Volkswagen China’s shift to online sales

A customer gets his car delivered at his home.

BEIJING: The people of China are used to digital payments for years. It’s a country where digital solutions are already very much a part of everyday life, even before the pandemic.

Prior to the crisis, Chinese car buyers would conduct online consultations before sealing the deal.

When people didn’t go out the door in February, the trend accelerated.

Take Volkswagen, for example. A total of 550 Volkswagen cars were sold in March in a completely digital process.

This was made possible by virtual showrooms that car buyers can visit from home without the risk of infection.

In the digital showrooms, they can see the vehicles and inquire in real-time about prices and equipment.

 Live stream from the dealership: Mayer says car salesmen are becoming entertainers.

The number of visitors is high – the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture showroom on the Autohome platform alone has more than 2.5 million customer views.

“We are also currently observing a growing interest in car ownership, because many people no longer want to be dependent on public transport,” said Volkswagen sales and marketing head in China Michael Mayer.

Volkswagen dealerships are also using live streams to present cars. “Car salespeople are becoming entertainers. On average, dealers present a new show every other day on platforms such as TikTok or Kuaishou,” Mayer says.

In February, Volkswagen trained more than 70,000 participants in a three-day online training course in the use of live broadcasts and the production of short videos.

“After that, the lively experimentation with digital formats began.”

For example, virtual test drives were offered in which the interested parties sit in their living room at home while the dealer streams from the car.

If you want to test a car in a real-life situation, you can book the test drive online and have the car delivered freshly disinfected to your front door.

Customers also have the car delivered to their home after purchase or use the same service to have it conveniently taken to and from the workshop.

There is currently still one hurdle to overcome in the area of digital payments.

 Mayer.

The maximum limits of the usual online platforms are not designed for new car purchases.

“In individual cases, however, we can already process payments digitally today, for example by online credit agreement,” says Mayer.

In the meantime, the car market in China is recovering from the corona-induced slump – Volkswagen expects the situation to normalize by the summer.

Mayer assumes that the digitalisation of the business will also continue at a rapid pace.

“However, this does not mean that we will make pure online sales the standard.”

Shortly before closing, many customers still wished for a personal meeting with their salesperson.

Mayer says, "They expect that they can negotiate the price. That works best on site. For this reason, we plan to have separate meeting corners in new car dealerships. Even if digital continues to spread, the human aspect must not be forgotten.”


BMW Shorties 2019 announces grand prize winner

Syahnur (middle) posing with judges and BMW executives.
PETALING JAYA: The BMW Shorties has named the short film, PACE by Syahnur Asyikin Kee Charles its grand prize winner for the 13th edition of the short film contest.

The grand prize worth RM80,000 in production grant was presented at the BMW Shorties Awards Night 2019, held in conjunction with Urbanscapes 2019.

PACE is a 15-minute short film about a young girl contemplating her identity for the first time in a small town in Sabah.

“What a great honour it is to be named the BMW Shorties Grand Prize Winner for 2019. I am equally humbled and thrilled to be receiving this recognition, not just for myself but for everyone who have helped make PACE a reality back at home," said Syahnur, also known as Ekin.

Ekin is a graduate of University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) who majored in cinematography. PACE is her first submission to the BMW Shorties.

“With the vast amount of submissions received this year, it is truly refreshing to see local creators demonstrate such passion and tenacity in visualising their interpretations of Uncharted (the theme for BMW Shorties 2019), and as such, we are more than proud to continue driving this creative force time and time again,” said BMW Group Malaysia managing director Harald Hoelzl.

The BMW Shorties' YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/bmwshortiesmy/featured) has yet to be updated with the 2019 film entries.


Green energy’s US$10 trillion revolution faces oil crash test

A wind turbine operating beside vapour rising from the cooling towers at the Jaenschwalde coal-fired power plant, operated by Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG, in Peitz, Germany. — Bloomberg
LONDON: In 2014, when the price of oil last crashed, the world’s governments had no agreement in place to fight climate change. The following year leaders signed the Paris accord.

Green investments have soared since then. Some $1.2 trillion has been poured into renewable energy, and global electric vehicle sales reached 2 million last year. Bloomberg NEF expects as much as $10 trillion poured into clean energy by 2050.

The accord also marked a cultural watershed, with emissions targets now policed by a growing environment movement that’s shaping politics from Germany to India.

In a sign of the times, activist Greta Thunberg and Tesla Inc. founder Elon Musk are now two of the most famous people in the world.

So when this week Saudi Arabia and Russia joined in a price war that wreaked havoc on global markets already rattled by the coronavirus, it looked like the major oil-producing nations re-asserting their supremacy in the short term. Instead, it may prove to be another step in a longer-term trend towards ending oil’s power to hold the world to ransom.

The price of a barrel of oil remains an important economic indicator. But the relentless push to move away from fossil fuels suggests that its geopolitical impact is likely to be softer than in the past, with the imperative to combat global warming assuming its place.

 Elon Musk has proven that a mass-market electric car is viable, prompting all the major carmakers to follow his lead. — AFP

"The impact of the oil price on broader economic growth has been decoupling ever since the 1980s,” said Shane Tomlinson, deputy chief executive officer at environmental thinktank E3G.

"We could see exceptional movements in the oil price in the next few months, but I don’t think that changes the fundamental need to address climate change.”

Oil’s fall to some US$35 a barrel from US$55 just last week has major implications for addressing climate change.

Low prices incentivise more use of oil; it squeezes the budgets of oil companies, putting clean-energy projects in doubt; and some governments feel pressured to prop up struggling oil companies.

All that drives up emissions, which is bad news for global warming.

However, if low prices are sustained this time, there might be big positives for fighting climate change.

Renewable energy is a more mature industry than five years ago.

As it becomes a less risky investment, it has attracted big investors who are showering a lot of cash and building some projects that rival the capacity of conventional power plants.

At the same time, oil exploration is becoming less viable economically, with an increased risk that even those projects that go ahead no longer yield good returns and with worries about stranded assets growing.

"Now it doesn’t make sense to reduce your investment in renewables if the oil price crashes,” said Mark Lewis, head of sustainability at BNP Paribas Asset Management. "It’s more logical to reduce your investment in oil.”

That reality points to a broader change in investor sentiment since Paris that affects companies and governments alike.

A number of large investors have come together under groups such as Climate Action 100+ to demand companies put sustainability at the heart of their business models, and that isn’t likely to change.

Tesla has effectively become a proxy for how the green economy is viewed by investors. Musk has demonstrated that a mass-market electric car is viable, prompting all the major carmakers to follow his lead. He’s building his latest plant outside Berlin, in a show of his intention to take the fight to the heart of Europe’s leading luxury car producer.

Tesla is after all the world’s second-most valuable carmaker by market value after Toyota Motor Corp.

For governments worldwide, pressure for policy measures has mounted as the issue increasingly resonates, in part due to the kind of direct action and media campaigning espoused by Greta Thunberg.

Low oil prices offer one reason to heed that voter call, since it’s a good time to end fossil-fuel subsidies or to raise taxes on consumption of fossil fuels. Such a move can also help avoid the sorts of destabilising anti-government protests seen in France, Iran and Ecuador when energy-price increases were proposed.

It could even be done in a way that "protects or even benefits poorer households and communities,” said Helen Mountford, vice president of climate and economics at the World Resources Institute.

The goal of reaching out to "left-behind” communities is a dynamic driving policy from the post-Brexit UK to South Africa and swaths of Latin America that suffered waves of unrest late last year.

During the last down cycle, between 2014 and 2016, when oil briefly dipped below US$30 per barrel, India cut annual fossil-fuel subsidies from US$29 billion to US$8 billion and even raised taxes on consumption.

Some of the money raised was diverted to renewable-energy subsidies, after setting an ambitious goal to deploy as much as 175 GW of mainly solar and wind power by 2022-about twice the power generation capacity of Britain.

"Many countries are pursuing electrification and decarbonisation to make them less dependent on the volatility of oil markets,” said Adnan Amin, former director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency. "This kind of event will only reinforce that momentum.”

Also since 2014, the power of Opec’s 14 nations to shape the market has been weakened by the impact of US shale production. (Opec's Vienna base is home to an Austrian government that now includes the Greens as junior coalition partner.)

The US — which is not a member of the cartel — became an oil exporter again on the back of its shale revolution, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia in 2018 to regain its status as the world’s biggest producer. President Donald Trump has cheered America’s energy resurgence as an example of taking back control.

However, the collapse in oil prices weakens the shale industry’s ability to pump at a profit and even pushes some of the producers towards bankruptcies, adding to economic uncertainty surrounding the virus that may hurt Trump’s re-election bid, says Amin. Since Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the Paris agreement, it could yet tilt the presidential race in favour of a candidate receptive to climate action.

In Brussels, meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen doubled down on European Union plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, despite the emergence of what she called "unforeseen challenges.”

"Today, it’s no longer the question if there will be a European Green Deal or whether the EU will become climate-neutral but the question is how we’re proceeding and how far-reaching will the transition be,” Von der Leyen said on Monday.

That stance is understandable given that EU citizens say they want the bloc to focus on tackling climate change and preserving the environment as its No. 1 priority, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey for the European Parliament.

"Clearly, we cannot ignore what’s going on globally,” said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius on Bloomberg TV. The global "climate emergency didn’t go anywhere.”


Daimler takes sole control of car-sharing firm Car2Go Europe

                STUTTGART: Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, said Thursday it will take full ownership of car-sharing service Car2Go Europe, buying out its long-standing joint venture partner, Europcar.

Daimler, which already owns 75 percent of Car2Go Europe, said in a statement it would buy the 25 percent held by Europcar since the joint venture was set up in 2012.

The deal must still receive regulatory approval and Daimler did not say when it expected the transaction to be completed.

But the move mirrors a similar one made by rival BMW which took full control of a competing service, DriveNow, in January.

"Over the course of the last several months, we have intensified our investments in mobility services," said division chief, Joerg Lamparter.

Taking into account its North American and Chinese operations, as well as Europe, the Car2Go group claims more than three million users in 26 cities worldwide, with a fleet of 14,000 vehicles — mostly Daimler's ultra-compact Smart cars.

Daimler said it plans to "further expand its mobility portfolio", which already includes Car2Go, transport booking app Moovel and taxi hailing service mytaxi.


Roadside artworks can slow down speeding drivers, says German study

                LÜNEBURG (Germany): Scientists have found that setting up sculptures alongside the road can slow drivers down, potentially making for safer and more liveable towns.

Researchers placed brightly coloured works of art near two German communities and then measured the effect these had on drivers.

Speeding drivers drove more slowly, they found, observing traffic activity in Amelinghausen and Ottersberg, in northern Germany.

The works of art encouraged motorists to think. They attracted drivers' attention, but did not pose a threat to road safety, the scientists say, based on an assessment of resident surveys, traffic measurements and recording drivers' eye movements.

After the first sculptures were installed in Ottersberg, the number of speeding violations - faster than 50kph - decreased by up to 24%.

"It had an effect, but art alone doesn't change everything," says Rainer Höger, a professor of industrial psychology specialising in mobility at Germany's University Lüneburg.

He is now calling for sculptures to be erected in combination with further infrastructural measures to calm traffic.

"As a major result of the project, it was found that artistic installations at the roadside can lower inner-city speed levels substantially in some cases, but the exact extent depends on inner-city characteristics," says the team from Ottersberg University of Applied Sciences, TU Hamburg and Leuphana University of Lüneburg.

Drivers did not slow down right away after passing the first sculptures. Given that, the scientists recommend placing art works at the approach of some towns, or near to the entrance signs, to benefit from the slowing effect.

But that could be tricky in some places if there are traffic regulations that ban the placing of objects directly at roadsides outside built-up areas.

"It would be worth considering whether the rigid legal requirements could be relaxed, perhaps with an exemption, to initiate a speed reduction in the approach to a town by means of appropriate art installations," the researchers suggest.

Art installations only change part of the local atmosphere, the experiment concludes. To permanently slow down speeding drivers, further changes are needed to the townscape, alongside speed limits.


Sepang already lost millions of ringgit in track fees

                PETALING JAYA: Sepang International Circuit (SIC) are bracing for a tough period over the next few months with millions of ringgit in track fees lost over the next few months.

SIC chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali revealed they had already lost RM4 million in revenue from track fees after the government issued the directive to stop all public gatherings, including sporting events three weeks ago.

The Sepang track, first opened in 1999, is not only the home of Malaysian motorsport events but also booked for private testing and functions.

Among the events called off last month were the Asia GT official testing, Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) and Desmo Cup.

The first and second round of Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) together with Round 1 of Malaysia Superbike Championship were also postponed to a later date.“As you know, we have already heeded the call by the authorities as we are an agency under the Youth and Sports Ministry.

“But like any business set-up, we have been greatly affected. Track fees are our bread and butter.

“We had to postpone all events scheduled last month and I believe we will not see any track activity until the end of May at the earliest, and only if things get back to normal.

“The last time I checked with my business team, we lost RM4 million in revenue and we will likely lose more the longer this situation continues as we’re not sure if the events will be rescheduled or just called off,” he said.

“We can only hope for the best and pray the situation gets better in Malaysia and the rest of the world.

“This is a global thing and affects us all.

“Participants are unable to travel because of the restrictions and fans will not show up either.

“But health is more important than anything else,” he said.


Haval M4 buyers get 7-year warranty and other perks

                SHAH ALAM: Haval Malaysia is wooing car buyers with attractive offers for its M4 sport utility vehicle (SUV) from now till Dec 31 - one of which includes an industry-first seven-year warranty with unlimited mileage.

The company is also providing a cash incentive for trade-ins by helping to cover the remaining hire-purchase balance, which can also be used as a deposit when buying the Chinese SUV that strongly resembles an Evoque.

There are currently three incentives to choose from:

1. Free first year insurance payment and free three months bank instalment.

2. Free five years service or 100,000km for labour fees and spare parts (whichever comes first)

3. The upgrading of Haval M4 Comfort to the Premium variant.

The Chinese B-segment SUV was first introduced last year, which comes in three variants and six colours of white, silver, black, blue, red and orange.

All variants use a 1.5-litre engine producing 105hp at 6,000rpm and 138Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels via a five-speed manual (MT) or six-speed automatic transmission (AT).

The Evoque-looking M4 SUV range starts with the entry-level Comfort, mid-range Premium and ends with a newly added range-topping Elite - which comes priced on-the-road without insurance at RM53,008 (RM60,017 - AT), RM59,839 (RM65,852 - AT) and RM72,659 (AT only), respectively.

The new Elite variant comes with halogen and LED combination headlamps as well as LED fog lamps to better differentiate itself.


Tougher than steel: Japan looks to wood pulp to make lighter auto parts

The Toyota Setsuna concept unveiled last year is a wooden roadster.
KYOTO: The global push among carmakers to make ever lighter vehicles is leading some auto suppliers in Japan to turn to what seems like an unlikely substitute for steel - wood.

Japanese researchers and auto component makers say a material made from wood pulp weighs just one fifth of steel and can be five times stronger.

The material - cellulose nanofibres - could become a viable alternative to steel in the decades ahead, they say, although it faces competition from carbon-based materials, and remains a long way from being commercially viable.

Reducing the weight of a vehicle will be critical as manufacturers move to bring electric cars into the mainstream. Batteries are an expensive but vital component, so a reduction in car weight will mean fewer batteries will be needed to power the vehicle, saving on costs.

"Lightweighting is a constant issue for us," said Masanori Matsushiro, a project manager overseeing body design at Toyota Motor Corp.

"But we also have to resolve the issue of high manufacturing costs before we see an increased use of new, lighter-weight materials in mass-volume cars."

Researchers at Kyoto University and major parts suppliers such as Denso Corp, Toyota's biggest supplier, and DaikyoNishikawa Corp, are working with plastics incorporated with cellulose nanofibres - made by breaking down wood pulp fibers into several hundredths of a micron (one thousandth of a millimetre).

Cellulose nanofibres have been used in a variety of products ranging from ink to transparent displays, but their potential use in cars has been enabled by the "Kyoto Process", under which chemically treated wood fibers are kneaded into plastics while simultaneously being broken down into nanofibres, slashing the cost of production to roughly one-fifth that of other processes.

 Carbon fibre reinforced plastic car parts are light.

"This is the lowest-cost, highest-performance application for cellulose nanofibres, and that's why we're focusing on its use in auto and aircraft parts," Kyoto University Professor Hiroaki Yano, who is leading the research, told Reuters in an interview.

The university, along with auto parts suppliers, are currently developing a prototype car using cellulose nanofiber-based parts to be completed in 2020.

"We've been using plastics as a replacement for steel, and we're hoping that cellulose nanofibres will widen the possibilities towards that goal," said Yukihiko Ishino, a spokesman at DaikyoNishikawa, which counts Toyota Motor Corp and Mazda Motor Corp among its customers.

Automakers are also using other lightweight substitutes. BMW uses carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) for its i3 compact electric car as well as for its 7 series, while high-tensile steel and aluminum alloys are currently the most widely used lightweight options because they are cheaper and recyclable.

Yano said he was inspired in his research by a photo of the "Spruce Goose", a cargo plane made almost entirely of wood in 1947 by US billionaire entrepreneur Howard Hughes. At the time, it was the world's largest aircraft.

"I thought that if Howard Hughes could find a way to use wood to build a massive plane, why not use wood to make a material that was as strong as steel," he said.

The cost of mass producing a kilogramme of cellulose nanofibre is currently around 1,000 yen (RM39).

Yano aims to halve that cost by 2030, which he says will make it an economically viable product, since it would be combined with plastic, and so competitive against high tensile steel and aluminum alloys, which currently cost around US$2 (RM8.60) per kg.

Industry experts anticipate that carbon fibre prices will fall to around US$10 (RM43) per kg by 2025.

Analysts say high-tensile steel and aluminum will be the more popular alternative for many years to come, considering parts makers would need to overhaul production lines and figure out ways to fasten new materials like cellulose nanofibre onto other car parts.

Anthony Vicari, an applied materials analyst at Lux Research in Boston, said it "would be a big deal" though if Yano's projections prove to be correct.

But for now, it remains "a very big 'if'", he said.

 Carbon fibre mats.


Ninety B40 families get fully subsidised child car seats from BMW Malaysia and Safe 'n Sound collaboration

CYBERJAYA: The NEXTStep Subsidy Programme was introduced in May 2022, as part of the ongoing BMW Safety 360° initiative, which aims to promote road safety for children by making child car seats more accessible to lower income households.
A total of 90 child car seats were fully subsidised for families in the B40 community with funds raised by BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia last year.

The fully subsidised child car seat under the NEXTStep Subsidy Programme is open to expecting parents and families with children weighing up to 36kg, and with a monthly household income below RM3,500.

Over 900 registrations were received throughout the application period, affirming the need for greater accessibility to child car seats among lower income families.

The NEXTStep Subsidy Programme concluded with a special handover event organised in collaboration with Safe ‘n Sound to present the fully subsidised child car seats to selected parents in the Klang Valley.

A total of 12 child car seats were presented during the event, with the remainder delivered to parents that resided within and outside of the Klang Valley.

The child car seat models were the snskidz Ace (infant carrier) snskidz sport (convertible seat), snskidz Whizz (ISOFIX seat), snskidz Proto (combination booster seat) and Mifold (booster seat), which would normally retail at RM199, RM279, RM499, RM399, and RM199 respectively.

BMW Group Malaysia initiated the first subsidy programme as part of the BMW Safety 360° initiative in 2019 to an overwhelming response of over 25,000 applicants.

To date, more than 400 families have received subsidised child car seats, including recipients of the NEXTStep Subsidy Programme.

BMW Group Malaysia managing director Hans de Visser said, “The overwhelming response we have received for this subsidy programme highlights the crucial need for us to make child car seats more accessible to the public, especially to lower income families.

“We hope to continue advocating for the uptake of child car seats amongst families in Malaysia, while also raising awareness and encouraging more parents to act independently in ensuring the highest level of safety for their children while on the road,” he said.

BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia CEO Matthias Schlesiger added, “We are pleased to have been able to support the NEXTStep Subsidy Programme with the funds we raised last year through one of our fundraising initiatives.

“For every signed contract of a BMW or MINI electrified vehicle (EV), RM100 was contributed to the fundraiser and ultimately channelled to a cause that we hold close to our hearts,” he said.

SNS Products Sdn Bhd managing director May Hwong said, “It is required for every occupant in the vehicle to use a seat belt, but we must remember that it is important that children below 12 years old use a suitable car seat as they may not be tall enough for a seat belt.

“Their safety should be every parents' highest priority and we hope this subsidy programme can make it easier for them to ensure that,” she said.


Denso readies war chest to become world's top car part supplier

                TOKYO: Japan's Denso Corp is gunning for the title of top-selling automotive parts supplier by stoking its electrification push with a bond sale and setting aside hundreds of billions of yen for deals.

Denso, the world's No. 2 automotive parts supplier in terms of sales, plans to roughly double revenue from electrified parts to 1 trillion yen (RM39bil) by fiscal 2025. It aims to double that figure again by fiscal 2030, chief financial officer Yasushi Matsui said in an interview.

Matsui sees EV parts as a key value generator, capable of pushing Denso above the current top-selling automotive parts maker, Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH.

"The arena they'll chase behind us in is electrification," Matsui said. "After all, we've been in that field for a long time."

Indeed, Denso entered the EV parts arena earlier than many others, making various components for the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger car - Toyota Motor's Prius - since the 1990s. Today, it claims roughly one-third of the market for inverters, a critical part that converts currents from batteries in battery-electric and hybrid cars.

Denso gets about half of its revenue from Toyota, with the rest coming from a range of automakers from Honda Motor to Ford Motor and Stellantis.

Matsui says two decades of experience making hybrid-car parts for Toyota gives Denso an edge with EV parts today. Some key EV components like inverters can be manufactured on existing hybrid part factory lines, giving Denso a headstart in preparing facilities and building scale, he said.

According to Matsui, over the next five to six years, Denso plans to deploy around 1 trillion yen - half of which may be spent on shareholder returns like share buybacks, and half on mergers and acquisitions in fields such as electrification.

The Japanese company is considering a sustainability bond offering that would enable it to raise capital for initiatives that contribute to the environment and society, according to Denso senior director Yoshimasa Shinoda.

Denso has a relatively high equity ratio that it's looking to decrease, Matsui said, adding that Denso will also look to sell several smaller businesses such as those tied to gasoline-only cars.

Expectations of growth are creating a certain level of buzz from investors. Denso's shares have risen more than 70 per cent over the past year, giving the company a market capitalisation that rivals Honda and Ford. They touched a record high in June.

In the near term, Denso is facing the same headwinds buffeting its top customer. Just as demand skyrockets for cars, rising Covid-19 cases in South-east Asia and the industry-wide chip shortage are dragging on production.

Demand for hybrids - and cars in general - is quite strong right now, Matsui said. Compared to its recent outlook for a 440 billion yen profit, "500 billion yen is not a dream."


Hyundai Glovis woos EV manufacturers with its EV-focused service

                SEOUL: Electric vehicles (EVs) need to be handled differently from internal combustion engined (ICE) cars when it comes to shipping them.

Hyundai Glovis, one of the largest logistics companies in South Korea, has taken up the challenge and announced new EV handling procedures when such vehicles are in transit aboard car carriers.

The company, which is the logistics arm of Hyundai Motor Group, said it is offering the world's first EV specialised marine transportation system in line with the growing popularity of such cars.

In setting the shipping guide for company employees and customers, it said all EVs to be shipped should first of all be marked as "EV" in shipping documents to distinguish them from ICE vehicles.

Shippers also need to inform Hyundai Glovis in advance about key information on the cargo to be transported such as EV condition and state of charge.

The guide states that loaded vehicles are subject to constant checking on their battery condition and body to ensure cargo quality.

Hyundai Glovis said it would work closely with shippers and provide them key metrics such as temperature and humidity of loading deck, and battery consumption during transportation.

Hyundai Glovis said it plans to expand its services from OEM makers to new EV makers. With new EV makers, they tend to lack experience in shipping products, said Hyundai Glovis, adding that it would offer them a one-stop service that covers land, sea and terminal transportation.

Hyundai Glovis said its workers are trained to handle EV emergencies such as a fire outbreak.

It  said it seeking more EV-shipping deals this year after having shipped about 180,000 EVs, or 40 percent of global EV shipments last year.


France slams EU delay in tougher auto pollution tests

                LUXEMBOURG: France sharply criticised on Monday the years it has taken the EU to implement auto pollution tests that are to replace the easily riggable lab tests exposed by the Volkswagen diesel car scandal.

Speaking after EU talks in Luxembourg, French Environment Minister Segolene Royal urged her counterparts to swiftly approve tests carried out during real driving conditions that are considered far more effective in measuring pollution.

“I had the chance to deplore the fact that for so many years there have been so many obstacles to match the conformity tests done in laboratories to those done in real driving conditions,” France’s Royal said at a news briefing.

Royal said the delay “had dragged on too long” especially just weeks ahead of December’s UN climate conference in Paris, where “Europe must set an example”.

One of the biggest scandals in automotive history came to light in September after German carmaker Volkswagen admitted to US authorities it had fitted 11 million of its vehicles with software designed to cheat the laboratory checks.

The EU’s member states in 2013 formally approved the use of real-driving tests that would have blocked such cheating, but have become bogged down over how quickly the new system should be implemented. At issue is how long car companies have to fully comply with EU limits on nitrogen oxide pollution by diesel cars as measured by the real driving tests.

A proposal by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, gives car companies until 2019 to fully comply and implement the tests.

During the intervening four years, approval would be granted to cars even if the real driving emissions are up to 60 per cent higher than the emission standards currently in place.

The commission calls their proposal “realistic”, but nonetheless, sources told AFP that powerful member state Germany, as well as Spain and Italy, were opposing it, drawing activist anger.

“Governments like Germany’s must rise from under the wheels of the car lobby to put air quality before big business,” Greenpeace energy expert Jiri Jerabek said.

But the auto industry warns that adopting tighter tests too quickly would hurt manufacturers and cost jobs.

Not having “realistic timeframes and conditions... could have repercussions upon consumer choice as well as employment in the wider automotive sector,” the ACEA car lobby said in statement earlier this month.

According to ACEA, the auto sector is responsible for about 12 million jobs across the EU.


Lotus looks to an electric future with Alpine deal

                LONDON: A co-operation deal between British sports car maker Lotus and Alpine, owned by French giant Renault, is driven by a need to share supply chains and production facilities.

The joint venture was announced last week and is aimed at accelerating the two firms' electrification strategy.

Chinese-owned Lotus makes all its cars in Britain, which is being hit by supply-chain delays following the country's recent exit from the European Union's single market and customs union.

But Lotus has enjoyed a solid 2020 despite fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

AFP spoke to Uday Senepati, executive director corporate strategy and product management at Lotus.

Q: What's the aim of the deal?

"We are partnering on several aspects, the main one being an all electric sports car backbone (chassis) which will be done by Lotus engineering.

"It will give us our line of sports car in the middle of this decade. We will be looking at launching a new electric sports car on this platform.

"Alpine will be developing their own sports car with us, which we will lead the development for.

"We have a great expertise in motor sports, they have great expertise in aerodynamic powertrains with lots of electrification on race tracks.

"Formula One is another area that we are exploring but this is not the main focus."

Q: How are the firms' electric ambitions going?

"We will go all electric, I can't put a timeline to it yet.

"We are also talking about tackling the environmental footprint of all our operations.

"We have done a partnership with (British Gas-parent) Centrica on a deal for our energy supply to make sure our carbon footprint is zero or better in the next decade.

"That's what we're working on.

"In 2028 we will be 80 years old as a company and we are aiming at that point in time to be there in terms of our carbon footprint.

"There have been challenges with the launch of (our first electric model) Evija and testing the car with the (Covid) travel restrictions.

"The car has to be developed with testing it across the globe... it'll go into production and commercialisation this year.

"There will be only 130 of them... at a base price of £2.0 million (RM11mil)."

Q: How are you coping with the Brexit transition?

"We have very strong shareholders especially (our Chinese parent) Geely who has not just committed but has been spending a great deal on developing products.

"The Chinese market is going well, Geely is doing extremely well so this commitment is solid.

"If you want to battle a crisis yourself you are going be in trouble. Partnerships are going to be key and Lotus has a history of partnerships. We are open to more.

"2021 is going to be extremely challenging for the industry. We have to work together to brace for those challenges. Lotus engineering is firmly positioned to work with many others but we stand in a good position.

"Our results from 2020 show we've done extremely well. We grew 4.4 percent in our sales in our most difficult year in recent times. I cannot say 2021 will be much better.

"We did not see a massive effect from Brexit. We don't see a massive disruption (to supplies).

"The partnership with Renault will work well there since Renault has got a big supply-chain footprint and this partnership will help us.

"With Renault, we have access to their industrial footprint as well as in Europe if needed."