With concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and many governments banning gatherings as well as calling for social distancing, launching a new car model in the usual public manner is no longer appropriate. Some companies have taken to using the internet to debut their new models and Lamborghini has revealed its new Huracan EVO Rear-Wheel Drive Spyder virtually as well.
Only for Apple devices
Using Augmented Reality (AR) for the first time on its official website, the company is bringing its latest V10 super sportscar directly to customers and fans worldwide. However, access seems confined only to those with an iPhone or iPad (iOS 11 and A9 processor or later).
With AR, simply tapping ‘See in AR’ brings views of the new open-top rear-wheel drive model to people’s driveways, gardens or even sitting rooms. The virtual experience enables the viewer to rotate and expand the size of the vehicle, up to a 1:1 scale, allowing close looks at both its exterior and interior details. Images of what is viewed can also be captured with a high level of photorealism.
“At a time of major business challenges, Lamborghini is innovating once again and exploring new methods of communication. New technologies have accelerated fast during this time of global emergency, and Lamborghini is pioneering exciting new possibilities. Lamborghini can now be in everyone’s home, thanks to Apple’s AR technology, which is available on hundreds of millions of AR-enabled devices around the world,” said Stefano Domenicali, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.
0 – 100 in 3.5 seconds
The new Huracan EVO variant provides drivers with open-air driving pleasures, lightweight engineering, rear-wheel drive and a specially tuned Performance Traction Control System (P-TCS). The V10 powerplant delivers the same 610 bhp/560 Nm as the coupe version, giving a claimed 0-100 km/h time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 324 km/h.
The aluminium and thermoplastic resin body sits on a lightweight hybrid chassis of aluminium and carbonfibre, with a dry weight of 1,509 kgs and a weight-to-power ratio of 2.47 kg/bhp. Front/rear weight distribution of 40:60, with double wishbone suspension and overlapped quadrilaterals and passive shock absorbers provide optimized driver feedback.
Ventilated and cross-drilled steel brakes are fitted to 19-inch rims with specially-developed Pirelli P Zero tyres. Customers can also order their car with optional 20-inch rims and carbon ceramic brakes.
Similar aerodynamic qualities as coupe
Its design optimizes the integration and function of the extremely light soft top. Refined in the wind tunnel, the exterior lines ensure drag reduction and downforce matches that of the coupe without requiring additional aerodynamic features.
The specially tuned P-TCS traction control system is designed to consistently deliver torque and assuring traction in all conditions, even as the Spyder is ‘realigning’ after sharp cornering or drifting. Electronic intrusion, disliked by purist drivers, is minimized as the Huracan is specially engineered as an instinctive driver’s car with unfiltered physical feedback and maximum engagement.
“The Huracán EVO Rear-Wheel Drive Spyder doubles the driving fun, delivering raw driving pleasure with the opportunity to celebrate life outside. The driver is perfectly in touch with Lamborghini’s engineering heritage, experiencing the feedback and engagement from the set-up of a rear-wheel drive car where, while enjoying the sense of freedom and spirit of life that only open-top driving provides,” said Stefano Domenicali, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Automobili Lamborghini.
The first customers will take delivery of the new Huracan EVO RWD Spyder, priced in the UK from £151,100 (about RM810,700). For those who may take some time to save up to buy the car, you can still ‘enjoy’ it via the AR feature at the Lamborghini website. Other models will also have AR presentations in future.
The war against the COVID-19 coronavirus is a global one as 196 out of 197 countries have cases. Besides government efforts, individuals, various types of organisations and companies are also contributing in various ways. Where the auto industry is concerned, R&D capabilities and mass production facilities have been used to make much-needed Personal Protection Equipment.
Some carmakers have also looked at how they can make their vehicles safer for healthcare workers to travel in. Unlike making conventional ambulances which would usually transport patients without infections, the ones used to transport people potentially infected with COVID-19 must be designed to protect the healthcare workers and also the driver and other crew.
In America, Honda has made modifications and installed additional items in 10 units of the Odyssey MPV for use by the City of Detroit. To protect the health of the driver from the potential for droplet infection during transportation, the MPVs have been fitted with a plastic barrier installed behind the front seating area. Modifications have been made to the ventilation system to maintain an air pressure differential between the front and rear seating areas.
The MPVs were configured by a team of volunteers at Honda’s R&D centre in the state of Ohio. Senior engineers and fabrication experts quickly conceived and designed a method to modify the Odyssey at the company’s vehicle development centre where it was originally developed. They took less than two weeks from initial concept to completion.
All material fabrication and installation, and adjustments to the software for the Odyssey’s ventilation system, was done entirely in-house. The software controlling the ventilation system was tuned to assure the air pressure to create an environment inside the cabin like the negative pressure rooms in medical and research facilities.
Specifically, the software has been tuned to run the blower motor powering the fans in the front seating area faster than the fans for the rear seating area. The resulting air pressure differential creates a more negative pressure chamber in the rear seating area, with rear compartment air exhausted out the vents in the rear of the vehicle. This would greatly reduce the potential for droplet infection migration during transportation.
War on COVID-19: Mercedes-Benz converts bus specially for transporting patients
Lotus Cars has launched four new limited-edition versions of the Elise, each with a distinctive colour palette which pays tribute to the company’s pioneering and highly successful racing history. The exterior colour combinations are black and gold; red, white and gold; blue, red and silver; and blue and white.
The famous black and gold references the livery of the Lotus Type 72D which Emerson Fittipaldi raced to five victories over the course of the 1972 Formula 1 season. Red, white and gold echoes the Type 49B that Graham Hill raced in 1968, while the blue, red and silver is inspired by the Lotus Type 81 of 1980 driven by Nigel Mansell, Elio de Angelis and Mario Andretti.
The fourth new Elise, finished in blue and white, is in tribute to the Lotus Type 18 design from 1960. Exactly 60 years ago, it was the first Lotus car to achieve a Formula 1 pole position and victory, thanks to the late Sir Stirling Moss, at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Officially called the Elise Classic Heritage Editions, all four offer an enhanced exterior and interior spec over the Elise Sport 220 on which they’re based. They are on sale now across selected international markets, with only 100 units available globally.
As well as their unique colour schemes – instantly recognisable by motorsport fans worldwide – each car comes with an exclusive numbered ‘build plaque’ on the dashboard referencing the limited production run. The final numbers of each variant will be dictated by customer demand.
Each car has as standard a number of features which were previously on the options list. These include DAB digital radio with four speakers, air-conditioning, cruise control, ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels with racing livery finish, two-piece disc brakes and black carpet with floor mats.
The Elise interior colour pack is also now integrated as standard. Elements include the upper door trim and central seat insert finished to match the exterior, with detailing on the door, gear selector surround and dashboard picking out key colours. The only one that’s different is the blue and white car, which has red alcantara seat centres.
Optional extras include a fibreglass hardtop roof, lightweight lithium-ion battery and titanium lightweight exhaust.
All four cars cost exactly the same in the UK at £46,250 (about RM247,000), about 16% more than a standard Elise Sport 220. However, the added features, said to be worth £11,735 (about RM62,500) certainly makes it very good value for money – not to mention the exclusivity.
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Following the uproar when it was announced by Bank Negara Malaysia and the Association of Banks Malaysia that the 6-month moratorium offered on loans, including Hire-Purchase loans, would incur interest for the 6 months, the Finance Ministry has today said that there will be no interest charged.
The announcement on the Finance Ministry’s website
Prior to this, the financial institutions had said that borrowers will have the option of settling the 5 months deferred instalments in October in one lump sum and not pay any interest, or interest for each month would be added for those who did not settle in full. This meant that the amount for the remaining instalments would be increased and the repayment term would extend a further 6 months (incorporating the deferred months). This applied to both conventional and Shariah H-P loans.
The charging on additional interest was seen as being unfair, more so at a time when many people are facing financial challenges in view of the impact of the pandemic on businesses. Allowing a 6-month deferment in paying instalments was a welcome move as it would allow them some time to recover and try to stabilize their situation, but to charge them additional interest was only adding extra financial burden.
After a discussion between the Finance Ministry and the banks, it was agreed that no interest will be charged or compounded, and therefore the amount owing would not change. In other words, whatever instalment amount has been paid will be maintained and the only difference will be that the repayment term will continue for 6 months after the original month it was supposed to end.
Borrowers have the option of accepting the 6-month deferment or they can opt out. In either case, they need to inform their banks of their decision.
Tomorrow will see the beginning of the special exercise to permit people who have been stuck in other places to return to their homes in the cities. It’s a 4-day exercise with specific days for travelers from different states. It is only for those who want to return to their homes, and not for enjoying a long drive because interstate travel is still officially forbidden under the Movement Control Order (MCO).
To ensure people do not abuse the allowance to travel, there will be roadblocks along the highways and checks will be made on motorists. Although the police had earlier said that there is no need to wait for an approval message after submitting their application via the Gerak Malaysia mobile app, they now say that a QR code wil be sent after submission of particulars through the app. This QR code can then be quickly scanned at roadblocks to verify the person’s details.
The police also say that the mobile app must be updated to a new version. This means that information, especially the town origin and destination, must be entered again. After this is done, the QR code will be sent which signifies approval for travel. So be sure to do this tonight.
For those who have no smartphone access, they can get a document from a police station to verify their travel plans, and this can be shown at roadblocks.
Click here to go to the Gerak Malaysia page
Click here to download the Gerak Malaysia apps
Click here for FAQs on interstate travel (BM only)
While the exercise is for those wishing to return home, we understand that there are also provisions for 2-way trips. These are cases where, for example, a parent may have to go to another town to fetch children from grandparents’ homes to bring them back. All family members aged 16 years and older must submit their details separately via the app.
The schedule of travel for the 4 days starting from May 7 as follow:
May 7 (Thursday): travel permitted from Kuala Lumpur to other states.
May 8 (Friday): travel permitted from the states of Perak, Johor and Kelantan.
May 9 (Saturday): travel permitted from Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Melaka and Pahang.
May 10 (Sunday): travel permitted from Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu.
Remember that the R&R facilities are closed, except for the toilets, so bring along essentials. Nevertheless, you can still pick up stuff at petrol stations and reload your toll card if necessary. Should you stop along the way, be sure to observe social distancing and not gather in groups, which is not allowed during the MCO.
We wish everyone making the journeys a safe trip.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s call to safeguard the welfare of employees to prevent loss of jobs and livelihoods during this Movement Control Order (MCO) period, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) is proactively offering subsidies for dealers and sales consultants to alleviate their financial constraints.
For sales consultants, HSDM will provide a special monthly Hardship Allowance for sales consultants from April to June 2020. This is only applicable to those who have been in service for 3 months or more, and not for those serving notice. The subsidy will be distributed through their dealerships.
“The pandemic has badly affected the auto sector. We understand the hardship of our dealers and sales consultants, and we hope the subsidy will help ease their financial burden and help with the cost of health and safety measures at all authorised Hyundai sales and service outlets,” said Low Yuan Lung, Managing Director of HSDM.
HSDM assures customers and visitors alike that health and safety measures are already in place at service outlets that have reopened. The other sales and service outlets which will soon resume operations will also be taking health and safety measures such as hand sanitisation and temperature checks at all showroom entry points. Sanitisers will also be readily available at all customer touchpoints.
Additionally, there will be regular disinfection of the outlet (especially at high customer touch-point areas), with periodic disinfection of all customer/prospect-related vehicles. Test drive vehicles will be disinfected before and after every test drive in the presence of the customer for assurance.
To create greater awareness for the public regarding good hygiene practises, relevant messages will be shown on table standees, leaflets and posters.
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At Geneva in 2010, Peugeot displayed the SR1 concept car which represented a new era at Peugeot Design. A new head of design and team had come up with new styling concepts and among them was the i-Cockpit. This was an innovation in dashboard design which met with positive response, leading Peugeot to introduce it in production models within 2 years.
The first model to have the i-Cockpit was the 208 in 2012, giving the popular hatchback a new iconic feature that would become an element in the brand’s DNA. With the i-Cockpit, key information is directly within the driver’s line of sight, reducing the need to take the eyes off the road.
It’s almost like the Head-Up Display (HUD) except that it does not project information on the windscreen ahead of the driver. It is therefore not as expensive to incorporate but at the same time differs from traditional instrument panel layout and positioning.
Why does it work better?
To design the i-Cockpit, ergonomics, visibility and architecture must be taken into account, ensuring all body types are comfortable with maximum outward visibility. To achieve this, anthropometric data was studied on a global scale. It isn’t just the driver’s height that matters; their chest to leg ratio that needs to be assessed. For example, some people have a longer torso compared to their leg length. But for others, it’s quite the opposite. If the average height of a man is 1.76 metres, the length of his torso varies from 87 to 98 cm. This has a direct impact on the positioning of his vision.
This anthropometric data made it possible to calculate the range of adjustment for the seats or steering wheel. This reinforces the feeling of being in a ‘cocoon’ and optimises ergonomics, whatever the driver’s size.
Elements of the i-Cockpit
The main elements of the i-Cockpit are the compact steering wheel, raised instrument display, large HD touchscreen in line of sight, and a series of piano keys (or toggle switches) allowing direct and permanent access to the main comfort functions.
The i-Cockpit uses a 3-level arrangement for efficient ergonomics and driving comfort. Like a HUD, the information falls within the driver’s line of sight so that he or she does not need to take their eyes off the road ahead, improving safety. With traditional layouts, the eyes usually have to be diverted downwards a bit to view the meters, momentarily drawing the driver’s vision away from the road.
An unusual feature on the tachometer is the way it sweeps around the face. In conventional meters, the sweep would be clockwise, from the lower left around to the right. For the i-Cockpit, the sweep is counter-clockwise so the pointer rests on the right side when at idle. The designers were perhaps obsessed with having symmetry in the motion, with the speedometer (on the left side) sweeping clockwise. It’s disconcerting for new drivers but something that an owner would get used to.
The cockpit ergonomics are also part of the i-Cockpit with a wraparound layout to put switches and knobs within easy reach. The steering wheel has paddles which allow manual selection of gears, if preferred, without removing the hands from the steering wheel.
The 3D cluster
To date, over 5 million motorists have the i-Cockpit in their Peugeot vehicles. The concept continues to evolve and the latest innovation is the 3D i-Cockpit instrument cluster offered in the latest 208 which is the 2020 European Car of the Year. Visteon Corporation collaborated with Peugeot in the development of the more advanced i-Cockpit, said to be the industry’s first fully digital cluster displaying holographic objects. The instrument cluster represents the first real 3D cluster in automotive production.
The digital cluster displays advanced reflections to create the impressions of 3D graphics. The cluster is composed of a high-definition 10.25-inch ‘background’ thin-film transistor (TFT) and a 7-inch ‘foreground’ TFT projected on a semi-reflective blade.
The leading-edge display creates a 3D projection of approximately 15 mm between the front and rear images. This projects information like a hologram and the information is dynamic and animated. It can get closer to the eye depending on the degree of importance or urgency, and potentially increasing driver reactivity by half a second.
The 3D cluster is the first of several variants in the Groupe PSA brand line-up that will be launched over the coming years in a number of sizes. Identifiable by the two TFTs surrounded by tell-tale satellites, it also provides high-quality graphical content with animations and 3D content on both screens, in a complex and calibrated mechanical structure.
Click here for other news and articles about Peugeot.
Following the announcement of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) recently, several automotive brands under the Naza Group have resumed operations. The companies representing the various brands are Naza Italia Sdn Bhd (Ferrari), NZ Wheels Sdn Bhd (Mercedes-Benz/Mercedes-AMG), Naza Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Kia), Nasim Sdn Bhd (Peugeot), and Naza Euro Motors Sdn Bhd (Citroen and DS). Naza Motor Trading Sdn Bhd, which deals in multiple brands, has also resumed its operations.
The Naza Group is mindful of providing the highest priority on the health and safety of its employees and customers during this critical period. Strict safety measures and operating procedures enforced by the local authorities will be adhered to at the premises of each company. This would include the necessary hygiene and social distancing practices for customers’ peace of mind.
NZ Wheels is operating strictly on appointments only at its Klang Autohaus, KL North-East Service Centre and Johor Bahru Autohaus outlets. Customers who wish to visit the service centres are required to contact the respective outlets to make book an appointment.
Naza Kia Malaysia is resuming full operations at its authorised outlets in stages. It has initiated the ‘Kia Promise’ programme which ends in June 2020 as an added assurance to customers that the MCO will not affect aftersales aspects.
This means that all existing warranties will remain valid even if scheduled maintenance service could not be performed during the MCO. The programme also covers vehicle warranties that end during the MCO as well as those unable to get warranty repairs performed on their vehicle during that period. Customers are also given an additional grace period of 2 months or 2,000 kms (in moderation) beyond the standard 6 months or 10,000 km service interval to service their vehicle following the end of MCO.
Owners of cars purchased from Nasim and Naza Euro Motors are also required to call in in advance to book an appointment for servicing. All warranties for the brands they handle will still be honoured if service appointments or due dates fall within the MCO period.
Naza Motor Trading has resumed regular business hours at the Naza Automall PJ in Selangor from 9 am to 6 pm. It has a variety of models from various brands available.
53 years ago, three letters came together to become synonymous with the ultimate in Driving Performance: AMG. The company began as an independent tuner which improved the performance of Mercedes-Benz cars. Its successful business attracted the attention of DaimlerChrysler AG, which took a controlling interest in 1998. The association proved to be very useful for Mercedes-Benz and by 2005, it became the owner of AMG, establishing Mercedes-AMG GmbH as a high-performance subsidiary.
The history of AMG has many interesting stories, some lesS well-known innovations and superlative, exclusive sportscars. Here are 10 things about the company which you may not have known:
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