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Volvo to stop producing non-hybrid cars by 2019

Volvo has announced that from 2019 and onwards, all cars that it produces will have some form of electrification. This means that in two years time, Volvo will only be producing vehicles with hybrid or fully-electric propulsion systems.

This move confirms Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimizing its environmental impact on our planet and making the cities of the future, cleaner. Volvo Cars is focused on reducing the carbon emissions of both its products as well as its operations. It also aims to have manufacturing operations that have no detrimental effect to the climate situation, by 2025.

The company has also said that between 2019 and 2021, it would have produced five fully electric cars, three of which will be from Volvo and two from Polestar, which is currently the automaker’s performance arm. This confirms the earlier reported news that parent company, Geely, intends on turning Polestar into a separate brand that focuses on electrified global high-performance cars.

These five vehicles will be produced along with a range of petrol and diesel plug-in-hybrid and mild-hybrid 48-volt ones. And if it does manage to pull it off, it will make Volvo one of the first automakers to offer some form of electrification in its entire product portfolio.

This announcement signals an end to non-hybrid petrol and diesel powered Volvo vehicles, which is a significant and drastic shift in the current mindset. If Volvo does manage to keep its word, this could spur more automakers to join the bandwagon and push for a higher production volume of electrified vehicles.

That said, until there is a proper infrastructure in place around the world, it will take quite a while before electric vehicles win over the hearts and minds of people, globally. And as such, Volvo is taking a huge gamble by taking such a move, in such a short timeframe. If it doesn’t pay off for the Swedish marque, the automaker could find itself in a very tough situation.

Volkswagen to start selling cars in Iran after 17 year hiatus

Volkswagen will begin importing its cars to Iran after a 17 year absence. Heavy international sanctions were levied against Iran due to its unscrupulous nuclear programme. However, in 2016 the United Nations decided that it was satisfied with Iran’s cooperation on the matter and decided to lift these sanctions.

Mammut Khodra, a privately owned company in Iran will be the official Iranian importer of the Groups’s Scania and Volkswagen vehicles. It will initially distribute vehicle through eight different dealers, placing an emphasis on the Teheran region.

Mammut Group, parent company of Mammut Khodra (Khodra means automobile), was established in 1995. And is one of the biggest private industrial companies and employers in Iran, which is active in the fields of automotive, construction, IT, logistics, telecommunications and financial services.

Speaking the collaboration, Anders Sundt Jensen, project manager for the Iranian market at Volkswagen, said, “By returning to Iran, the Volkswagen brand is filling in another blank spot on the global automotive map. We are thus strengthening our international presence still further. At the same time, we are taking our very latest models with premium features to our Iranian customers.”

Volkswagen will be importing the Tiguan and Passat to the Iranian automotive market to offer car buyers more modern, smarter and safer vehicles. Iranians haven’t seen a new VW since the Gol was launched in the 1990s. Up until then, Volkswagen passenger cars have been a common sight on their roads because the Beetle and Bulli were favourites over there from the 1950s onwards.

The German automaker completely withdrew from the Iranian market in 2000 and the 17 year gap has meant that it has lost touch with the needs and wants of customers in that country. As such, the initial aim of reintroducing these vehicles to the market is to gain an insight into needs of the current market and offer Iranians modern technologies that are made in Germany.

The Iranian government has stated that there will be about 3 million new vehicle registrations in their passenger car market per year in the near future. But we shall have to wait and see if that becomes a reality in the next few years.

Honda and Hitachi join forces to build electric motors

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. have announced the establishment of a joint venture company that will develop and manufacture electric motors for vehicles. The company will use Hitachi Automotive Systems’ premises in Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Prior to the establishment of the company, both companies were engaged in various discussions based on a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed February 3rd. It will receive a financial grant from Ibaraki Prefecture as it has been recognized as a relevant project that “promotes the establishment of corporate head office functions” within the prefecture.

This joint venture will allow Honda better access to electric motor technology as well as give the company a head start at being a mass producer of EV motors. The advent of practical electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S has managed to convince many that EV vehicles can be a practical mode of transportation.

Unlike the old days, newer ones are able to travel longer before needing to be recharged and are fitted with batteries that last over time. Automakers have also increased the warranty period on these batteries as well as initiated programmes that make it easier for owners to have their tired batteries replaced at a fraction of the actual costs.

Mass production of electrical components such as battery packs and motors, should drive down costs of buying and owning an EV, which in turn will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Honda should benefit from this quiet a bit, especially if it manages to convince large automakers to buy Honda motors rather than build their own from scratch.

OnStar brings car thief to justice

Having your car stolen is a horrifying experience, especially if you are forcefully made to hand it over. This is exactly what happened to a Vauxhall Astra owner in Glasgow named James Watson. The thief forced him out, got in and sped off in the car. Fortunately for Watson, his Astra was equipped with the famous OnStar system.

OnStar is General Motor’s driver assistance system that allow drivers to receive roadside assistance from the OnStar support staff as well as a number of other services. OnStar services rely on a GPS locater that is built in to OnStar to triangulate the exact location of the driver/vehicle in distress.

Watson’s Astra was equipped with this setup and as such, he was able to notify the OnStar operator of what had happened prompting immediate action. Certain instructions were sent to that particular Astra, the car was told disable the ignition once the thief turned off the engine.

Police managed to find the vehicle with the help of the OnStar team at a petrol stations not far from where it was stolen. The thief turned off the engine presumably when attempting to fill the car with petrol. Police officers managed to apprehend the thief at the site, allowing Watson to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the perpetrator is now behind bars and that he has his Astra back.

Speaking of the incident, Watson said, “It was a terrible experience, one I wouldn’t wish on anybody else. After the initial shock of what happened subsided, I realized that we could locate the car – and probably the offender – through OnStar. I’m really grateful that the technology was in place to recover the vehicle so quickly, helping me to get back on the road knowing the thief had been caught.”

The thief has been sentenced to 10 months and 15 days in jail as well as having been banned from driving for nine months.

OnStar is available across the Vauxhall range of vehicles and has a number of safety and convenience features besides ‘stolen vehicle assistance’ which include crash response, destination download, 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, smartphone connectivity and vehicle diagnostics.

New Subaru Impreza set to make European debut

Subaru has confirmed that the all-new Impreza will make its European debut at the upcoming 67th Frankfurt International Motor Show on the 12th of September 2017. Built on the Subaru Global platform, the new car features a new design and award-winning safety tech that make it an enticing vehicle to own.

Sporting angular but elegant contours, the new Impreza looks more grown up while still retaining some of the sportiness that made the previous generation cars attractive purchases. The same is true for the rear albeit with bigger and wider headlights that dominate the rear hatch. Overall its a decent looking Subaru, which should be to the liking of European and Asian car buyers.

The car will come equipped with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, which is one of the better traction systems in the business.

Under the hood is the tried and tested Boxer engine that has powered Subaru vehicles for generations. Its distinctive raspy exhaust note is unmistakable and is considered one of the better traits of an Impreza.

Since its built on the new platform, the car has a 5mm lower centre of gravity than the outgoing one, an attribute Subaru says, will contribute to better handling stability and greater steering response.

Several new safety features are fitted as standard, which include EyeSight. Basically, it is Subaru’s advanced driver assist technology.

This latest generation system aims to provide world-class level of collision safety, which should help avoid or reduce the severity of impacts in the event of an accident.

The car has already been winning awards around the world, including the Japanese Car of the Year in December of last year. It has also received high safety scores in various crash test evaluations that have been conducted by various safety research entities.

The first generation Impreza was launched in 1992, and with the introduction of each new iteration, the nameplate’s fan base has grown ever larger. Today, approximately 2.5 million cars have been sold worldwide.

Lamborghini Huracán Performante arrive in UK for demo purposes

The First Lamborghini Huracán Performante demonstrators have reached the UK’s H.R. Owens , where the iconic Lamborghini London dealership will put the exotic track-focused car on display as well as demonstrate to customers, what it can accomplish.

It’s the very same showroom that was named the No.1 Lamborghini dealership worldwide in 2016. It has also displayed a number of other iconic cars, which include the Centenario, Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo racer and the 1988 Countach QV.

This is considered the first wave of demos in the UK and allow Lamborghini customers to experience the sheer agility and acceleration that this car has to offer compared to the standard Huracan.

It’s considerably lighter than the base Huracan, weighing about 40kg lighter at 1,382kg in dry weight. This was achieved through extensive use of carbon fiber and forged aluminium. The changes that set it apart from the base car are new front and rear bumpers, carbon fiber bumper skirts, new rear spoiler and a new interior that features a different digital speedometer.

Carbon fibre has been used extensively throughout parts like the rear spoiler, front splitter, rear diffuser as well as other elements of the car. Together, they form the active aerodynamic system of the car that move independently to ensure clean airflow for better grip and higher top speed. Like the Sesto Elemento, several body panels have been hollowed out to reduce weight, an extreme way to make a car lighter.

Though the engine is the same 5.2-litre V10 that is in the rest of Huracan variants, but the one in the Perfomante produces 631bhp and 601Nm of torque, allowing it to sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in under 3.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 325km/h.

Thanks to the extensive weight saving measures and a more powerful engine, the Huracan Performante managed to set a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in October of 2016. Its considered one of the more special Lamborghinis right now.