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Each year, alloy wheels with new designs are introduced on new car models or as updates for existing models. The designs are varied, some purely aesthetic while others have functional features to improve cooling of the brakes or aerodynamic efficiency, especially for electric vehicles.

For original equipment wheels, ie those installed at the factory by the carmakers, the designs are usually done in-house (although there may be times when specialised wheels are provided by suppliers). This is just another part of the work at the design department and often, the designers are on the look out for new ideas and inspiration.

But where to find untapped sources of inspiration when it comes to designing wheels? This is where Audi’s design department is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), a goal the German carmaker has set itself on its way to becoming a data-driven company.

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Shopping online is commonplace these days and during the lockdown periods of the past two years, many companies stepped up their online business activities as their physical retail outlets were forced to close. While there was already a trend starting towards increased online stores selling by car companies, the pandemic accelerated things in order for brands to remain accessible to customers.

Today, virtually every brand has an online showroom which mainly provides information on the latest models and if a customer is ready to make a purchase, the process can be started online as well. However, in some countries, physical presence is still required to complete the transaction as documents need to be officially signed.

Now Fiat has come out with what it says is the world’s first metaverse-powered store, taking the digital experience to a more advanced level. Starting off in Italy, the Fiat Metaverse Store provides a more sophisticated ‘shopping experience’ and there’s a real FIAT expert – called a FIAT Product Genius – on hand to answer questions.

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In his first international racing season, young Malaysian racer Hayden Haikal was forced to settle for overall 2nd place in the Thailand Super Eco series after experiencing a number of unfortunate setbacks. Trailing 20 points in the championship behind local hero Na Dol Vatanatham, Hayden needed to win the final two races, and for his nearest rival to finish out of the points in order to have a shot of becoming the overall champion.

Both drivers have been head-to-head in the championship, trading places on the podium throughout the six rounds going into the finale. The odds however, appeared stacked against Hayden from the beginning of the race weekend at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, northeast of Bangkok.

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It was not surprising that Nissan was the first Japanese carmaker to enter Formula E, the all-electric single-seater championship series. After all, the carmaker could be considered the pioneer in starting mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) with its LEAF. However, when it first participated in 2018, the fifth season of the series, it did so with the e.dams team.

Following its entry that year, the team was a regular each season and in March 2021, Nissan confirmed further commitment to Formula E until the end of Season 12 (2025/26). Earlier this year, Nissan decided it was ready to take on a direct involvement in the team and acquired it in April. It finished off the season with the Gen2 racing car as the all-new Gen3 version was being developed for 2023.

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Following last year’s generational change in the Dutch family-owned Donkervoort Automobielen, the company has now unveiled its first supercar – the F22, which can lay claim to being the lightest road-legal supercar in the world at just 750 kgs. It maintains the brand’s historic open-wheel layout while breaking new ground in every area, from construction to design.

The F22, which marks the end of the D8 GTO era, is the first new model since Denis Donkervoort took over as the company’s driving force after the retirement of his father, Joop Donkervoort, who started the company in 1978. To date, Donkervoort has sold more than 1,500 cars ranging from comfortable tourers to track-focussed models.

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In August this year, Bentley unveiled the Batur coupe, a very exclusive model to be built by Bentley Mulliner and limited to only 18 units, each priced at from £1.65 million (about RM8.9 million). Named after a beautiful lake in Bali, the Batur is the second bespoke project by Bentley Mulliner after the Bacalar and the first customers (all units have already been booked) should start getting their cars in mid-2023..

With development work completed and two prototypes available, real-world testing is now underway to verify the performance after an extensive engineering program. The validation activities, with more than 120 individual tests, include durability for both the engine and whole vehicle, environmental compatibility and sunlight simulation, high speed stability, aerodynamics, noise & vibration, and driving dynamics.

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