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Ford invests big money in Valencia facility

Ford Motor Company is spending a substantial amount of money on its Valencia plant in preparation for the next-generation Ford Kuga medium-sized Sports Utility Vehicle. More than €750 million (RM3.7 billion) has been poured into the facility to facilitate several upgrades that are related to cost efficiency and productivity improvements.

In total, Ford has spent about €3 billion (RM14.7 billion) since 2011 for its manufacturing site in Spain, which currently employs 8,000 workers across all of its operations. Its latest investment signals the Blue Oval’s commitment to this facility and its workforce.

“This major investment reconfirms in the clearest way our continuing commitment to the Valencia region and to Spain. I also want to thank the national government in Madrid and the Generalitat Valenciana for their continued support,” said Steven Armstrong, president and CEO, Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

About 25% of all vehicles sold in Europe are SUVs, which is probably the reason for Ford’s recent investment strategy. According to the automaker, sales figures for the Kuga this year stands at 126,900, which is a 22% increase compared to the same period in 2016. And it happens to be Ford’s third top-selling model after the Fiesta and Focus.

It also accounts for 50% of the total production numbers at the Valencia facility, which speaks volumes about Ford’s mindset of maintaining a foothold in the highly competitive European SUV market.

GEM urges motorists to curb certain behaviour

Allowing your engine to idle for long periods of time while in your car, isn’t illegal, but shouldn’t be practiced often. There several health and environmental concerns that are associated with vehicle exhaust gases. While idling, their exhaust pipes spew out harmful pollutants including soot and carbon monoxide that are not conducive to healthy living.

Idling is a term given to the practice of leaving a vehicle’s engine running while stationary without any immediate plans of setting off. It is something many of us have been guilty of on several occasions. And though we invoke rational reasoning to convince ourselves that it is acceptable behaviour, that simply isn’t true.

GEM Motorist Assist, a road safety and breakdown organisation in the UK has taken it upon themselves to urge motorists to curb this particular habit. They say that not only is it bad for health, but can cause a significant dent in your monthly petrol expenses.

Neil Worth, GEM road safety officer, said, “We ask drivers to think twice before sitting stationary in their vehicle with the engine running. By switching off you will be helping to improve air quality, reducing your carbon footprint and complying with the law.”

Adding to that, the company also states this problem is a contributing factor to the 40,000 air pollution-related deaths in the UK each year. The magnitude of this problem led the UK government to ban this practice several decades ago.

According to section 42 of the UK Road Traffic Act 1988, as made clear by Rule 123 of the Highway Code, Leaving a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while stationary on a public road can land you with a RM110 penalty charge notice. And they take these rules very seriously over there.

Unlike the UK, Malaysians have to deal with appalling weather conditions. As such, many are forced to keep the engine and A/C running to ensure that they don’t cook themselves. That said, it’s still an avoidable practice as long as you are able to plan your journeys well and take a break at petrol stations with R&R facilities.

This way, your car gets the rest it deserves, considerable amount of fuel is saved, and you get to cool off in an air conditioned rest area that serves food and beverages. It’s a win-win situation that can benefit all parties, including Mother Nature.

Rio Ferdinard to better foundation with apprenticeship programme

Famous footballer Rio Ferdinand, has teamed up with Aston Martin to help inspire and develop future generations with the proper skill set. The Rio Ferdinand Foundation or (RFF) works to provide career opportunities to youth in the UK.

It focuses on inspiring young people and providing them with the required tools to tap into their natural talents and reach their potential. And this new partnership with Aston Martin will see one person from RFF join the Aston Martin Apprenticeship Programme each year over the next three years.

The automaker is proud of its programme, which has seen its apprentices rise to leading roles within the company. Andy Palmer, the current President and CEO of Aston Martin, started his own career as an apprentice. This speaks volume about how thorough the company is at imparting the proper knowledge and skills to its employees.

Apprentices are given a full grounding across a range of business areas including Manufacturing, CAD Engineering and Design. They are taught by some of the finest engineers and technicians that work with the company. Earlier this month, 30 new apprentices joined Aston Martin in the hopes of enjoying lucrative careers there.

Speaking of his foundation, Rio Ferdinand, said, “Since setting up the RFF in 2012, it has been a huge source of pleasure for me to see these young people make positive choices and create a good life for themselves and their families.”

In addition to the tie up, Aston Martin has made Rio Ferdinand its brand ambassador, which should help increase its appeal to a wider range of consumers. Ferdinad has been a customer and fan of the company for a long time and his newest appointment could signal more collaborative efforts between him and the supercar maker.

Aston Martin AMR Pro will have F1 rivaling performance

Aston Martin has announced a new track focused racer called the Valkyrie AMR Pro, which was designed and developed alongside the roadcar of its namesake. But unlike the roadcar, the AMR Pro doesn’t need to comply with the same regulations and requirements. As such, designers were given free reign to create the most efficient model possible.

And the result, is a car that features a more fluidic design, canards protruding from the door sections, lower and wider double decked rear wing and other aerodynamic upgrades. The windshield is made from polycarbonate to save weight and its tyres are smaller than the road car at 18-inches – to fit the required Michelin rubber.

The automaker gutted the car in the name of reducing weight and as such, the car forgoes the heater/de-mister blower and infotainment screens. Even the bodywork has been constructed out of carbon-fibre that’s lighter than the standard Valkyrie. Other such measures include new suspension uprights, carbon-fibre wishbones, molded race seats.

Stopping power comes from F1 inspired race-spec carbon-carbon brakes that is best suited for track use. Powering the car is the same 6.5-litre Cosworth-built V12 engine, but it develops more power and torque. This coupled with extremely aerodynamic bodywork enables the AMR Pro to hit a predicted top speed of 402km/h and possess exceptionally good cornering abilities.

According to the automaker, the car is expected to be such an amazing performance car, that its lap times should be able to rival that of current generation F1 or LMP1 cars. This feat which was once considered impossible for vehicles that weren’t professional race cars, has now been realised by incorporating revolutionary techniques.

The use of ultra lightweight components, removal of unnecessary electrics and luxury items as well as altering the overall silhouette for maximum efficiency have made the AMR Pro far superior to the standard Valkyrie. Like the road car, the AMR Pro’s Rimac Energy Recovery System remains unchanged, but its control systems will be re-programmed.

Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Valkyrie has always been about pushing the limits and redefining the possible. The road car will set new benchmarks for performance, engineering and technology – a hypercar in the truest sense – and with the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro those limits will be pushed further still.”

The Valkyrie AMR Pro is the culmination of effort from Aston Martin, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and project partner AF Racing. The brainchild of Adrian Newey, only 25 of these cars will be produced in 2020, however, all of them are already spoken for.

VW has a selection of merchandise for its fans

Volkswagen is stocking up on its merchandise and accessories this festive season, just in time for its fans’ holiday shopping frenzy. A plethora of items that bear images of VW vehicles or its logo, are on sale on the German automaker’s site.

After browsing through the selection, we are quite sure some diehard fans will breakdown, whip out their credit cards, and partake in some serious online shopping. There are a number of Christmas stamps as well as red and green ink available to help you spruce your generic greeting cards.

Then, theres a Campervan Egg Cup, which is said to be one of the best selling items on the site. It helps to brighten up the look of breakfast tables, or kitchens at any time of day. For those who live in countries that experience more temperate climates, there are some cozy Campervan Heritage cushions that are said to be ‘equally soft and huggable’.

If you are going skiing this time of year, VW has you covered. There are pull-out ski and snowboard holders that can be used to store your equipment in a Caddy or Transporter van. Its convenient pull-out extenders make it easy to load and unload all your winter gear. It is used in combination with roof bars and can hold up to six pairs of skis or four snowboards.

Last but not least, for those who value the practice of saving money, the Campervan Money Box is something you would like. Designed in the shape of a classic T1 Campervan, the colorful box is being offered with a number of different design options to choose from.

These are just a few of the items that are currently on sale, and if you want the extensive list, CLICK HERE. Though it would make little financial sense to purchase these items for someone residing in Malaysia, it’s nice to know that automakers like VW take the trouble to build more than just family cars.

New Corvette ZR1 features more power and a myriad of upgrades

GM’s newest and baddest Corvette ZR1 has finally been revealed, and based on first impressions, its an absolute beauty. The car has a more aggressive frontend that has been purposefully designed to channel air to the 6.2-litre V8 engine and cooling systems while minimizing as much drag as possible.

Chevrolet has fitted this ZR1 with four new radiators bringing the total number of heat exchangers to 13. There’s also a carbon-fibre hood with an opening in the centre to accommodate the LT5 engine’s supercharger/intercooler assembly. Unlike the LT4, this one provides a much higher output due to a more efficient system.

Apparently, it offers 52% more displacement than the Z06’s LT4 supercharger. The powerplant also benefits from GM’s first dual-fuel-injection system, which employs primary direct injection and supplemental port injection, helping the LT5 achieve its record output. As such, this new ZR1’s engine produces an SAE-certified 755 horsepower and 969Nm of torque.

It can be mated to either a 7-speed manual or 8-speed automatic gearbox, which is the first time that the ZR1 has been offered with a choice of two different transmission. This could also be Chevy’s way of insinuating that automatics may become a mainstay in its future performance models.

Two different aero packages that have been wind tunnel tested, will be offered as add-ons for the Vette. A standard low wing helps the car achieve better handling, then there’s also a high profile tow-way adjustable wing that offers 60% more downforce than the one on the Z06. Adding to that, the standard issue front under-wing boosts overall downforce even further.

And if that still isn’t special enough, Chevy is also offering the Sebring Orange Design Package. As the name suggests, opting for this kit gets you a Sebring Orange tintcoat exterior color, orange brake calipers, orange rocker and splitter accent stripes, orange seat belts, orange interior stitching but weirdly enough, a bronze-aluminum interior trim.

But that’s not all, you also get heated and vented Napa leather-trimmed seating, carbon fiber-rimmed steering wheel, sports seats, Performance Data Recorder, Bose premium audio system and several others. Chevrolet is offering a whole plethora of additions to the car to complement its performance characteristics.

The 2019 Corvette ZR1 will be made available for sale in the US sometime early next year. However, more information about its performance and how fast it is able to lap he Nurburgring, will be divulged far earlier than the launch date.

Aston Martin Europe gets new boss

Aston Martin Europe has witnessed a shake up at the executive level. It has been announced that Ulrich Schäfer will succeed Mark Kenworthy as President of Aston Martin Europe. The incumbent leader will take on a new a role as Head of Global Dealer Network at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon.

Schäfer is a veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive and motorcycle industry. He has worked for a number of mainstream automakers that include BMW, Indian Motorcycles, Renault and KIA. During that time, he held several senior management positions in marketing and brand management, dealer development and sales.

Prior to his appointment at Aston Martin, he worked at Polaris as Managing Director for Germany and Austria. At Aston Martin, Schäfer will be responsible for the British automaker’s brand and sales activities in 19 Continental European markets.

He will be reporting to Christian Marti, Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, and will be based at Aston Martin’s regional head office in Frankfurt, Germany. Regarded as a learned man, Schäfer holds an MBA from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and studied International Economics at University of Sorbonne in Paris, France.

Commenting on his appointment, President and Chief Executive Officer Dr Andy Palmer, said, “I want to personally thank Mark Kenworthy for his support job in the region, under his direction, Aston Martin in Europe has doubled the total sales on a year-to-year basis, significantly extending our market share.”

“We are delighted to welcome Ulrich Schäfer to the Aston Martin team. He brings profound knowledge and a wealth of experience by serving more than 20 years in the automotive industry. We are looking forward to working with Ulrich in delivering the Second Century plan,” he added.

This news follows a whole string of changes at Aston Martin including the decision to use Mercedes-AMG sourced engines for a variety of its supercars. The UK based firm is probably hoping that the various restructuring moves and strategies pay off in the long run.

Porsche stolen by thieves with technical know-how

Due to the ever increasing sophistication of automotive technology, car thieves have had to resort to more ingenious methods to circumvent newer security systems. A background in electronics and wiring are now part of the job requirements for any successful car thief.

Gone are the days when a car jacking was attempted by petty criminals armed with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. Nowadays, they are equipped with laptops and cutting-edge hacking tools to breakdown a car’s security system.

Such was the case for a repair shop in Birmingham, where thieves broke in and stole a number of cars, including a Porsche 911 that costs £100,000 (RM549,788). After some initial tampering with the cars’ systems, they managed to drive the vehicles from the centre to a dump site not very far away.

There, they got to work at removing the telematics devices and number plates, rendering said vehicles, virtually untraceable by authorities. CCTV evidence that was gathered captured the crime, from the breaking and entering of the repair shop, to the cars driving into the dump site.

These thieves were able to perfectly conceal the identity and location of all the vehicles that were taken with the exception of the 911. See, this particular car, was equipped with another covert device from a company called Asset Protection Unit or (APU). This tracking device was hidden well enough that nobody was aware of its presence.

Once the vehicle was reported stolen, APU was able to track the vehicle’s data and relay it back to the authorities. The Porsche was found in a hotel parking lot in Coventry just two days later. Unfortunately, the culprits have yet to be apprehended. But APU is working with law inforcement to identify the suspects.

Incidents such as these are symptoms of an underfunded police force that lacks the manpower needed to keep its streets safe. In fact, 40 police forces in England and Wales recently revealing that car theft was up 30% from 2013, the theft also represents a case-study of how criminals are finding such success on UK roads.

Neil Thomas, Director of Investigation at Asset Protection Unit Ltd, said, “This latest incident is worrying evidence of thieves becoming increasingly savvy. When organised gangs of thieves go to these lengths it can make tracking and recovering the vehicles almost impossible.”

APU’s services are currently being employed by police forces and insurance companies in the UK to compensate for their lack of resources and skills. This knowledge can be used to interrogate telematics data and package it into usable evidence in court.

This way, the good guys still have a fighting chance of getting the better of the baddies who are becoming increasingly more crafty with each passing year.

Kia Stinger GT S pushed to its limits on runway

Kia UK has picked a peculiar way of launching its new grand tourer, the Stinger GT. Instead of throwing a big welcome party during the launch ceremony, The Koran automaker chose to welcome the car by letting three of them loose on an airstrip.

All three vehicles were driven by professional drivers in a staggered ‘half duck V’ pattern on Newquay airport’s runway, which was formerly a military airstrip. The point of this stunt, was to demonstrate the car’s power and capability of achieving speeds over 241km/h1.7. Kia filmed the feat to prove the Stinger GT’s prowess.

Starting at the east end of Newquay airport’s 2.7km runway, all three vehicles were pushed to their limits to reach the intended speed before running out of tarmac. Getting a vehicle of this size from 241km/h to 0 as quickly as possible requires serious stopping power. Here, Stinger’s 350mm ventilated Brembo discs brakes, didn’t disappoint.

This partiuclar site was the same location where the recent land speed record practice runs were conducted. Quite fittingly, once full approval of Newquay airport management and coordination with air traffic control, Kia set out to make its history here as well.

All three cars here were of the GT S variant, which come with a twin-turbo 365bhp 3.3-litre V6 engine. This, allows the Stinger to accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 271km/h.

If there was any doubt that Kia has produced a real rival to Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles, its performance at Newquay airport, has proven otherwise. And based on what we know so far, we can expect more of such cars from Kia in the not so distant future.

The D-Max Huntsman is the coolest pick-truck right now

Isuzu UK has introduced one of the coolest looking D-Max pick-up trucks we have ever seen. Called the Huntsman, the fittingly named variant of the D-Max comes in a number of colours but the most menacing of the lot has to be matte green, which the company calls ‘Tundra Green’.

Marketed to countrymen who cherish their hunting rights, the vehicle is decked out with a number of notable accessories that include ‘out of sight’ storage for firearms and ample bed space for dog boxes as well as other equipment. There’s also a rough-and-tough high-mounted tow bar that may prove useful when traversing difficult terrain.

On the outside, there isn’t much that catches one’s attention, which is precisely the point. The Huntsman’s distinctive body colour and lack of flashy chrome bits allow it to blend in with the surroundings. This may prove to beneficial when owners are on a game trail and prefer to stay hidden.

The extensive list of accessories that accompany the Huntsman variant of the D-Max include:

Aluminium Drawer System and Flap
Aeroklas Commercial Canopy with Roof Rails and Roof Vent
Under-Rail Bed Liner
Aluminium Under guards & Rear Diff Protector
Black Roof Rails Set
Black Side Bars & Steps
De-Chrome Pack (incl. U-Pol Raptor to Door Handles, Mirrors, Front Grille etc.)
5 x 18″ Black Alloy Wheels with Pirelli All Terrain Tyres
3.5T Tow Bar & 13 Pin Electrics
Tailgate Damper
Premium Protective Mat Set

Isuzu UK says that it will offer this impressive bit of kit as the Huntsman Pack (£5,995/RM32,925.80) that will be made available for purchase to those who already own the double cab variant of the current D-Max. In addition to that, it will also be offering the Pedders Suspension kit for an extra £1,000 (RM5,492.21), which could provide more versatility.

Those wanting a bit more exclusivity can also opt for the new bespoke Huntsman leather interior. And if the matte green body finish isn’t to your liking, you can choose between the Cosmic Black and Obsidian Grey body colours.

The D-Max Huntsman is definitely the coolest pick-up truck name that we have ever come across, and considering who its aimed at (no pun intended), adds to the vehicle’s desirability. Though we aren’t too fond of hunting or game trails here in Malaysia, we would still welcome this Huntsman with open arms.