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Race starts at 2 pm on Sunday in Texas/ 3 am in Malaysia (Monday)

The 2022 Formula 1 World Championship is in the western hemisphere again a third time for the first of three rounds in the Americas. The first one this weekend will be the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, followed by Mexican GP at the end of the month, and the Brazilian GP in mid-November. The US GP has been held at COTA since 2012, except in 2020 when the race was cancelled due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides Austin, other American cities which have had Formula 1 rounds in the past have been Detroit/Michigan (1982 – 1988), Los Angeles/California (1976 – 1983), Dallas/Texas (1984), Las Vegas, Nevada (1981 and 1982), Riverside/California (1960), Sebring/Florida (1959), Watkins Glen/New York (1961 – 1980), and Indianapolis/Indiana (2000 – 2007). This year, Miami in Florida joined the list and next year will see Las Vegas having a round again. In total, there have been at least 50 rounds of F1 held in America though it is not so apparent.

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In the early 1970s, Aston Martin was undergoing significant change as Sir David Brown sold it to a Company Developments Ltd. The change of ownership brought with it new optimism for the company’s future, but the engineering and design ethos of the David Brown era was also retained. This enabled the birth of the AM V8 as a successor to the DBS V8.

The DBS V8  had championed the use of Aston Martin’s first V8, which was the first new engine for more than 10 years, so the AM V8 was essentially a styling exercise. In place of the angular nose of the DBS was a more curvaceous, purposeful front end which gave a much more muscular look. Key to that new nose was the arrival of two 7-inch quartz iodine headlamps and a black mesh grille.

The return of a small open ‘power bulge’ on the bonnet; the ‘Coke-bottle’ flanks; and the use of Aston Martin V8 side strake badges completed the exterior styling revisions. That this same William Towns’ shape, in essence, would represent the Aston Martin ‘look’ for almost 2 decades shows the importance of its debut in 1972.

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Apple Music’s Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos is now available as a native experience in Mercedes‑Benz vehicles for the first time, providing occupants with a fully immersive listening experience of studio-quality sound said to be better than in any concert hall.

The limited edition Mercedes‑Maybach by Virgil Abloh was one of the first cars in the world — and the first model in the Mercedes‑Benz line-up — to offer this superior, multi-dimensional soundscape powered by the Burmester high-end 4D sound system. Apple Music with Spatial Audio will also be integrated through the MBUX infotainment system first in the Mercedes‑Maybach S‑Class and then the S-Class and other Mercedes-EQ models.

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Bugatti has revealed its latest range of digital timepieces, created in collaboration with VIITA Watches of Austria. The new Carbone Limited Edition by VIITA is not only the world’s first limited-run smartwatch but also the first to be constructed with a housing of full carbonfibre – the lightweight material used extensively in the brand’s hypercars.

In the modern era of Bugatti, carbonfibre is a crucial material. Extremely lightweight, strong and dense, it is used both in the monocoque and in the bodywork of every Bugatti. Without its innate strength, the record-breaking performance of models like the Chiron Super Sport 300+ would not be possible.

The revolutionary material, which has a history going back to 1860, is finished with highlights of blue, a French racing colour forever associated with Bugatti. The carbonfibre elements are milled precisely from a solid block.

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On the same day that Rolls-Royce unveiled the Spectre, its first electric model, to the world, Cadillac also presented its first all-electric ultra-luxury sedan model – the CELESTIQ. Described as the most technologically advanced Cadillac ever, it leads the brand into the electrified future built on legacy, cutting-edge technology and personalized luxury.

While the basic structure and bodywork of the CELESTIQ will come from a series production process, each unit will be personalised to the customer’s specific requirements. No two cars will be alike as customers will work directly with their dealer and Cadillac designers to have what the company says will be ‘unprecedented levels of personalization tailored to reflect the owner’s tastes’.

“CELESTIQ is the purest expression of Cadillac, acknowledging our incredible history and driving us to a bolder and brighter future,” said Global Vice-President of Cadillac, Rory Harvey. “It is a completely bespoke work of automotive art, built around the most advanced and innovative technology that we have ever engineered into an automobile.”

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The X7, BMW’s largest SAV model, gets an additional variant in the form of the X7 xDrive40i M Sport. Like the xDrive40i Pure Excellence which has been on sale in Malaysia for over a year, the new variant with M Sport enhancements is also assembled locally at the Inokom complex in Kedah.

Priced at RM728,800 (without insurance), the X7 xDrive40i M Sport – as would be expected when ‘M is added – is a more performance-oriented version. The M Aerodynamics package which adds sportiness with a slightly rugged image for the imposing model. Certain design elements get more visual emphasis and presumably, aerodynamics are improved in some way.

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