BMW has recorded an increase in demand for its electrified vehicles this September. According to the automaker’s recent reports, it mentioned that a total of 10,786 vehicles have been sold in September which is a 50.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
The German automaker’s current electrified line-up includes 9 different models from a number of its sub brands that include BMWi, BMW iPerformance and MINI electric vehicles. The extensive portfolio has allowed the company’s electrified division to record a year-to-date total sales figure of 68,687 vehicles which is a 64.2% increase compared to last year.
This proves that the demand for electric or hybrid vehicles are growing with each passing year. And with cities around the world tightening regulations on petrol and diesel powered vehicles, these numbers are going to rise exponentially.
That said, in general, BMW’s global sales figures have risen across the board with the automaker recording exceptional sales figures for 2017. In fact, in the first three quarters of 2017, BMW managed to sell as many vehicles as it did in the entire 12 months of 2017.
The BMW group consists of a number of brands, which are BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, BMW Group electrified and BMW Motorrad. And this year alone, BMW has managed to sell a total of 1,811,234 vehicles to date, which is a 3.7% increase compared to the same period last year.
Yet another scandal has hit Japan, and this time its from a company called Kobe Steel. Though this company maybe relatively unfamiliar to many, it is a key player in supplying the automotive industry with a whole host of parts that include doors and bonnets.
Based on an article posted by The Guardian, Kobe Steel has admitted that over the course a decade, it has falsified data regarding the strength and durability of its aluminium and copper products that are used in cars, aircraft, space rockets and defense equipment.
This issue affects a whole host of manufacturers that include Boeing, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Hitachi and several others. In fact, Hitachi has said that it used Kobe Steel parts in trains that it built for the UK market.
Boeing, the US based aircraft maker, has stated that it is currently inspecting Kobe Steel products that it had used, but for the moment at least, says that there is no evidence to suggest that the safety of the respective parts had been compromised in any way.
This news has many mainstream automakers scrambling to assess the extent of which Kobe Steel products were used in their vehicles. Though certain companies have said that safety may not be an issue despite the fact that Kobe Steel didn’t honour the specifications agreed upon, we won’t know for sure until further investigations are carried out.
The extent of the issue and the sectors that are affected by it are still unknown, but we hope that for the most part at least, that the issue is isolated to the Japanese market. That said, we will let you know more as this scandal begins to unravel in the coming weeks.
The USA is home to Hollywood, muscle cars and of course the world’s most entertaining police chases. And this time, its no different, as reported by The Drive, Macomb County Sheriff’s department was tasked with chasing down an ambulance that was stolen by a 21-year-old male from a nearby hospital.
A video was uploaded to Macomb County Sheriff’s Facebook page explaining the incident. On 7/10/17, its officers responded to reports that an ambulance had been stolen from a local hospital. Apparently Paramedics and presumably the ambulance driver left the vehicle unattended to drop of a patient at the hospital.
A 21-year-old man, who at the time wasn’t a patient at the hospital, upon exiting the premises sighted the parked ambulance, and decided to drive off with it. Macomb County Sheriff’s deputies responding to the call gave chase, which lead to the apprehension of one of the most erratic erratic getaway drivers in the world.
Though the chase was devoid of the high speed action, the erratic driving behaviour of the 21-year-old was still considered dangerous. And had there been a higher volume of traffic at the time, things would have probably ended a lot worse.
Fortunately, police officers managed to apprehend the suspect after he attempted to drive over a banked pavement in an attempt to avoid being boxed in between a civilian vehicle and a police cruiser.
The driver has been charged with one felony count of Unlawful Driving away of an Autombile and given an interim bond of $75,000 (RM315,450). This is proof that crime doesn’t pay, and thankfully, no one was hurt during this horrific chase.
Aston Martin has unveiled the DB11 Volante , the convertible version of the DB11 Coupe that was launched last year. Engineered to be the best open-top supercar created by Aston Martin, it boasts a convertible fabric roof that has been designed to withstand close to 10 years of abuse without breaking a sweat.
Like its Coupe brethren, the Volante is constructed from an all-new bonded aluminum structure, which is 26% lighter and more rigid than is predecessor’s. Adding to that, it is said to offer better performance and handling abilities without sacrificing refinement and luxurious that are expected of a gran tourer.
Aston Martin has given the car the same single-piece aluminium bonnet and ‘Curlicue’ aerodynamic feature from the DB11 Coupe, which improves airflow and reduces weight. Then, there are also new wood/carbon fibre veneer panels on the seat backs, ultra-slim ‘light blade’ tail lights and newly designed forged alloy wheels.
Under the hood is the 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 engine that delivers close to 510bhp, which is coupled with a smooth shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. Drivers will be able to alter the Volante’s behaviour by adjusting its 3-stage powertrain and chassis modes.
These systems coupled with dynamic torque vectoring, allow drivers to adapt the vehicle’s behavior to the various roads and weather conditions. But, much to the dismay of purists, the DB11 Volante is fitted with an electric power steering as apposed to the tried and tested hydraulic setup.
That said, the stand out feature of the Volante has to be its sophisticated fabric roof. It is an all-new 8-layer design that is fitted with insulation materials that help reduce ambient noises especially tha of weather and wind. It only needs about 14 seconds to fully fold into the rear and a mere 16 seconds to come back up – all done with just the remote key.
Due to the construction method and the way that this fabric roof is able to fold neatly away, the the car has 20% more boot space in the rear compared to the outgoing DB9 Volante. This makes the new vehicle a more practical grand tourer, and one that can be used on a daily basis.
Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andy Palmer, said, “For many of our customers, indeed many generations of Aston Martin customer, the Volante has always offered something very special: a unique combination of elegant style, innate sporting ability and sensory engagement that lifts it above other open-top cars.”
He then added that, “The new DB11 Volante captures those qualities perfectly and promises the kind of pleasure and enjoyment that can only come from driving an open-top Aston Martin.”
Aston Martin has announced that the first round of deliveries will take place towards the first quarter of 2018, which is still a long way off, but judging from the looks alone, we doubt Aston Martin will have any problems selling this particular car.
McLaren has built two unique versions of the 650S Coupe and 650S Spider supercars for a very special customer. McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the automaker’s special projects division was responsible for making both cars even more special thanwhat the automaker has in its product portfolio.
Compared with the cars that they are based on, these MSO R ones are fitted with a number of upgrades that include a carbon-fibre front bumper, bonnet, louvered fenders, roof scoop and rear deck, side mirror arms and wiper scuttle.
There’s Delta Red pin-striping on the front splitter and side blades, while the splitter, side skirts, sill panels, rocker panels and plenum adorn the MSO R branding. Several internal and mechanical bits are finished in a Liquid Silver colour, which provide for an understated look.
The Coupe is finished in satin Liquid Silver while the Spider gets a gloss finish, with a carbon-fibre central stripe. The matching pair of McLarens feature the same twin-element rear wing, with front dive planes for added aero efficiency. Both cars are also fitted with 5-spoke wheels, but the Coupe’s is finished in satin black but the Spider gets gloss black.
As for the interior, the cars are fitted with Alcantara material for the upholstery, primarily in black with red stitching. The colour theme is reversed for the seats, which are red with black stitching and feature an MSO R logo embroidered in black on the headrest.
The carbon-fibre steering is fitted with black Alcantara grips and a Delta Red centering stripe. McLaren has given both cars switches that are in gloss black and vent mechanisms in satin black with bezels in carbon fibre.
Apart from visual tweaks, both cars have received power upgrades as well. their engines have been blueprinted and the heads and exhaust ports hand-polished, giving the twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 engine a maximum power of 679bhp and up to 700Nm of torque.
As extravagent as this might be, it isn’t the first time that the British automaker has commissioned uniquely designed vehicles for customers with deep pockets. In fact, one of the first McLarens that was commissioned wasthe McLaren X-1. It was unveiled during the weekend of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2012.
In recent years, McLaren says that it has received and increasing number of requests to build customized versions of their cars. There is certainly a market for such offerings and McLaren would certainly oblige as long as the customers have substantial sums of money to spend on a new car.
Polestar will be revealing its first ever vehicle in Shanghai on the 17th of October. It will be the first vehicle that Polestar, as a separate entity from Volvo, has designed and built from the ground up as a standalone electric performance brand.
This comes after an announcement made by parent company of both Volvo and Polestar, Geely, regarding its intentions to spin-off Polestar into is own sub-brand that specializes in building performance EVs.
Though Volvo will eventually turn into an EV manufacturer too, it’s main area of focus will be on building mainstream vehicles that the general public need, basically – a Volvo. The logic of this move is still unclear, because Polestar’s symbiotic relationship with Volvo can be likened to that of Mercedes-Benz and AMG.
Polestar’s wealth of knowledge on track has been incorporated into Volvos to produce vehicles that not only safe, but can handle just as well as their German rivals. That said, a separate entity called Cyan Polestar Racing still exists in Motorsport. It is effectively the remnant of the resulting buyout of Polestar by Volvo in 2015.
As such, how well Polestar is able to do without Volvo remains to be seen but we hope cross-platform sharing continues to take place because we have just gotten used to the idea of Volvos that offer incredible level of safety while having the ability of going head to head with a BMW M5.
It looks like cities around the world are taking turns to drop bombshells in terms EV regulations, in the recent weeks. Now, Oxford has decided to jump in and propose its own heavy-handed regulatory policy, which effectively bans all non-electric vehicles from its roads by 2020.
As absurd as that may sound, it gets a whole lot worse because the ban doesn’t just encompass the sale of new cars, rather it involves all vehicles, including taxis, buses and HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicles) used to transport shipments and cargo into the city.
Skeptics believe that the rushed effort reflects the lack of consideration given by the city council to the current infrastructure. Based on an article by Car Throttle, it is estimated that Oxford is home to about 160,000 residents but the current EV infrastructure isn’t able to match their EV demands.
The city plans on investing in this area by creating 100 more charging outlets, which wouldn’t be able to do much good considering the influx of electric cars by 2020. That said, the ban will only be fully enforced by 2035. Oxford only plans to banish fossil fuel burning vehicles from its busy city streets in the next couple of years, the complete ban, will only take place 15 years later.
This news can serve as an indication of things to come in terms of environmental regulations. Governments around the world are beginning to realize that the use of electric vehicles will help reduce our carbon footprint, improve air quality and lessen the effects of global warming.
Modern day cars, especially the higher end ones, are fitted with tyre pressure monitoring systems or TPMS. And even if that isn’t the case with lower end ones, there are plethora of aftermarket kits that offer the same level of functionality if not more.
A tyre pressure monitoring system does have its advantages. It serves as an early warning system to drivers, notifying them when there is a sudden drop in tyre pressure, which could indicate a puncture. This will allow him/her enough time to get the problem sorted out before its too late.
Apart from this, TPMS can also indicate to drivers when the air in each tyre requires topping up. As soon as air pressures drop below the normal values, TPMS will activate an indication light on the meter cluster to warn drivers of an issue.
Though this may seem like a Godsend, TyreSafe, a company in the UK has taken it upon itself to remind vehicle owners that they shouldn’t rely solely on TPMS for tyre safety. TPMS has its uses, it has proven to have improved driver awareness as far as tyre pressures are concerned.
That said, TPMS does not warn drivers of the condition of their tyres and whether they have sufficient tread depth left. These two criteria are just as important as air pressures are, when it comes to tyre safety. Tyres that have heavily degraded could disintegrate at any moment in time, posing a major threat to vehicle safety.
TPMS is a reliable technology and should work well for a significant amount of time, but this does not mean that they are safe from malfunctions or failures. This is because batteries of the wheel-mounted sensors can ran out of power or the sensors themselves, can provide inaccurate readings over time.
This is why the UK based company is urging vehicle owners to remain vigilant and ensure that their TPMS is monitored regularly for signs of failure. This way, the chances of them failing could be considerably less than usual.
Your tyres are what connect your vehicle to the road. And regardless of how sophisticated your on-board electronic driver aids are, they won’t be able to do much good if the tyres aren’t up to the task at hand. Looking after your tyres are just as important as the attention given to the engine and gearbox.
MINI is introducing a very special edition vehicle called the 1499 GT, all are bound for the UK market. It’s inception was inspired by the classic 1275 GT, which was based on the original Mini. The 1275 in the model name, was a direct reflection of the car’s engine capacity in cc, which was significantly larger than the standard Mini’s 998cc.
However, with the 1499 GT which is based on the current MINI One, This isn’t the case. The car doesn’t have a 1499cc engine, instead its the same 3-pot as the One but with a bit of a power bump. The automaker has slightly increaed the power, bringing the total to 102bhp.
The peppy turbocharged three-cylinder engine allows the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in 10.1 seconds, which isn’t quick by any means. Mated to it, is a 6-speed manual gearbox with sports-car inspired rev matching technology. The car also comes with disc brakes on all four corners that will allow for better stopping power.
There are several differences between the special edition MINI and the standard car, which include the John Cooper Works Sport Pack, 17” Track Spoke alloy wheels in Black and white indicator lenses. The styling pack includes distinctive John Cooper Works front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a split level spoiler and John Cooper Works door entry plates.
Its a similar story for the inside because the car gets John Cooper Works Sports seats in Dinamica and leather, JCW badges, a JCW steering wheel in perforated leather with Chilli Red stitching and multi-function controls, Piano Black interior trim as well as a Carbon Black interior details and an Anthracite headlining.
This John Cooper Works treatment extends to the performance aspect of the car as well because it benefits from a sports suspension. It is tuned to offer an experience that matches the looks of the sporty bits.
MINI will only be making 1,499 cars and they will be available in two different body colours, which are Pepper White or Midnight Black. In Midnight Black, the car gets gold 1499 GT side stripes, while the one in Pepper White, gets the same style graphics, but in black.
You may have heard of miniature RC or remote controlled vehicles, the same machines that have brought joy to children and adults all over the world since the 1980s. In fact, special RC tournaments are conducted annually, in several parts of the world to prove who has the best reflexes at successfully maneuvering their vehicles past challenging miniature circuits.
Nissan has decided to take this one step further by introducing a full-size RC vehicle in the form of the latest iteration of the GT-R supercar. It has done this to celebrate the launch of the highly acclaimed Gran Turismo Sport game for the PlayStation 4 console.
Called the GT-R/C the vehicle is a fully standard car with the stock V6 engine that puts out 542bhp and an all-wheel-drive system. Engineered in the UK by JLB Design Ltd, the car has been fitted with four robots that operate the steering, transmission, brakes and throttle. Six computers mounted in the boot update the controls at up to 100 times a second.
The vehicle is driven/controlled though operating an unmodified DualShock 4 controller that connects to a micro-computer which interprets the joystick and button signals and transmits them to the GT-R /C’s on-board systems. From an operator’s perspective, there is no discernible difference between the game and the real life car with the exception of the viewing angles.
This vehicle was driven around the Silverstone circuit by NISMO racing driver Jann Mardenborough. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he is one of the most successful winners of GT Academy, Nissan’s unique driver discovery and development programme.
Mardenborough controlled the GT-R/C via the DualShock controller from the cockpit of a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter. Since the controller had to be within a 1km distance of the car to safely control it, the helicopter had to fly at a very low altitude for the duration of the session.
As a safety net, the GT-R/C was fitted with two independent safety systems, operating on different radio frequencies, which allow two additional operators to apply full ABS braking and cut the engine, should there be any signal interruption from Mardenborough’s controller.
Speaking of the event, Mardenborough said, “This was once-in-a-lifetime, truly epic stuff. The GT-R /C has brought my two worlds together – the virtual of gaming and the reality of Motorsport – in a way I never thought possible.”
“The response from the car when using the controller was far more engaging than I thought it would be. JLB Design has done an incredible job at making everything respond really well,” he added.
Next year, Nissan will be taking this car on a tour to primary and secondary schools in the UK to promote future careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects. And maybe, inspire the next generation of engineers to turn to Nissan’s R&D platform.
