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The American to be axed from The Grand Tour

According to a recent post on twitter, The Grand Tour’s Season 2 will proceed without the presence of The American. Representing Amazon’s version of The Stig, The American character was played by Mike Skinner, a former NASCAR Driver.

Skinner admitted on Twitter that the second season will go on without him, stating that ‘his character wasn’t developed as he was told’. Unlike the universal likability of the Stig, Amazon’s character received a lukewarm welcome.

FYI I won't be joining the guys on @thegrandtour 2nd season – I wish them all the luck. My character wasn't developed as I was told.

— Mike Skinner (@MSTheGunslinger) November 7, 2017

The Stig was known for his cool and calm demeanor, which were virtues that The American lacked completely. His repulsive nature and complete lack of etiquette became a bit tiresome after the first few episodes. And despite his impressive car control skills around the test track, it wasn’t enough to win over the show’s audience.

and I agree with many of you that it sucked – if you're gonna wear Evil Knievel's firesuit, you need to be Evil Flipping Knievel! Peace out

— Mike Skinner (@MSTheGunslinger) November 7, 2017

Now that this news is official, one can’t help but wonder who will take over from The American as The Grand Tour’s tame racing driver. The Stig is considered part of the BBC and as such, Clarkson, Hammond and May aren’t legally allowed to have a similar figure in their current show.

There’s a possibility that the hot lap segment might be scuttled entirely mirroring the decision to put to pasture the travelling studio tent. Whatever the case maybe, we hope that Season 2 brings us the same thrills and spills we have come to expect from the Amazon exclusive show.

Volvo XC60 earns top marks in crash tests

Thatcham Research is an independent advocate of automotive safety & repair as well as an adviser to motorists, insurers and vehicle manufacturers in aiding the reduction in accident frequency, severity and costs. This world leader in crash safety and research, has awarded the Volvo XC60 with top marks for vehicle safety.

In fact, the Swede scored 95% in the Safety Assist category, which is about 40% higher than the average for cars that were tested this year. Contributing to this stellar score was its Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system that scored maximum points when tested at highway speeds and was successful at avoiding all collisions.

“The new Volvo XC60 has “aced” the exacting test protocols,” said Matthew Avery director of research at Thatcham Research. “It’s exceedingly rare for a vehicle to score so favourably across the board. The adult occupant protection result for the Volvo XC60 is one of the best on record.”

“But it’s in active safety that Volvo is really maintaining its lead. The XC60’s standard-fit safety technologies are excellent – or rather those that we were able to test, as its Turn Across Path and Run off Road systems are not yet a feature of the Euro NCAP programme,” he added.

Other SUVs that were tested during the same period included the Citroën C3 Aircross, Opel / Vauxhhall Crossland X, VW T-Roc, Skoda Karoq and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. All of them performed relatively well by achieving the Euro NCAP 5-star rating respectively.

Besides crash and track research, Thatcham Research also conducts tests and accredits crash repair parts, vehicle repair technicians, as well as others services. The acquired data is then used to benefit the collision repair industry for insurers, motor manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

Christmas is coming early for Ford fans

It’s the the most wonderful time of the year, especially if you have your heart set on purchasing a new Ford. Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), the sole distributor of Ford vehicles in Malaysia is offering unbeatable deals for its customers this Christmas season.

As a means to spread the holiday cheer, Ford will be giving awy an exclusive blue nose and reindeer antlers to customers who sign up to test drive a Ford vehicle at any of the company’s authorized dealers nationwide.

Adding to that, those who purchase a new vehicle can expect even better rewards in the form of rebates and other attractive packages. A purchase of a Ranger WildTrak will come with up to RM5,000 worth of cash rebates. For those who opt for a Ranger XLT instead, you get a zero-maintenance cost package for up to 5 years or 100,000km plus cash rebates.

If those deals don’t tickle your fancy but want something a little more compact instead, Ford has you covered here as well. With the purchase of a Focus or Fiesta, you will be able to enjoy cash rebates of up to RM23,000 in addition to a 3-years free of cost maintenance package and a 5-year warranty.

And if you already own a Ford but still want to enjoy a jolly Christmas with the Blue Oval, you still can. Just take your vehicle in for a complimentary 27-point vehicle health inspection by a Ford-certified technician. Sweetening the deal further are discounts of up to 20 percent on selected parts that include lubricants, brake, timing belt and other packages.

There’s also a 10 discount on labour costs as well as other maintenance packages for selected Ford models. And if this news has you pacing your living room impatiently for a Ford Service Center to open tomorrow – hold on. This promotion will be made available nationwide starting on December 18th 2017 and and will end on February 17th 2018.

“We are glad to extend these attractive service and maintenance packages to ensure that our customers’ vehicles are in their best condition for a safe travel,” said Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, Managing Director, SDAC. “Let’s make this holiday season a memorable one with our loved ones.”

Customers who spend more than RM350 on a single valid tax invoice at a Ford centre can expect to receive exclusive Ford merchandise. That said, these items are only available at authorized Ford dealers nationwide while stocks last.

If you would like to know more, visit www.sdacford.com.my or head on over to your nearest Ford dealership to experience the best that the Blue Oval has to offer the Malaysian automotive market.

Aston Martin DB11 wins Golden Steering Wheel Award

Aston Martin’s DB11 has just been crowned ‘Most Beautiful car 2017’ by winning the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award from Axel Springer. The car features cutting edge technology that has been wrapped into a silhouette that is worthy of praise. It’s smooth and elegantly designed contours make it look aggressive yet classy.

The jury of the Golden Steering award was made up of designers, engineers, racers, celebrities and journalists from across Europe. There were 20 entrants for the competition, all of which entered the car market this year. And the DB11 managed to standout enough to take home the prize.

Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, received the award from Marion Horn (Editor in Chief BILD am Sonntag) and Tom Drechsler (Editor in Chief AUTO BILD) at the awards ceremony held at the Axel Springer SE headquarters in Berlin.

Speaking of the award, the delighted CEO of Aston Martin, said, “We aspire to make the most beautiful cars in the world and are incredibly proud of the Aston Martin DB11, a car that spearheads our Second Century plan. Exceptional design runs through the bloodline of the DB models and every part of the DB11 is crafted to create the most beautiful DB to date.”

Designed by Marek Richman, the DB11 is grand tourer that was built since last year and has effectively replaced the ever popular DB9. Available as either a 2-door Coupe or Convertible, the DB11 is offered with either a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 or a Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Both powerplants are mated with an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which allow them to achieve their respective speeds. The V12 powered car has 600bhp and 700Nm of torque, which allow it to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. The V8 powered (503bhp and 675Nm of torque) car accomplishes the same feat in 4.0 seconds.

Aston Martin recently forged a partnership with Mercedes-Benz, allowing it access to a plethora of engine options and cutting edge technology. Utilizing these new tools, the British automaker might be able to reduce R&D costs but produce the same beautiful cars.

Honda employee jumps from plane for fun

Honda has published a new video featuring one of its employees, Kevin Kuhn, a thrill seeker who by nature, loves the thrills that are associated with skydiving. Its part of the automaker’s What Makes a Honda is Who Makes a Honda video series, where each episode depicts Honda’s ideals in its employees and in their work ethic.

It focuses on on those who live out the company’s commitment to The Power of Dreams, which is Honda’s global theme that encourages staff to conceive ideas that will create new value for customers and society.

Kuhn’s desire to challenge himself in several aspects of his life lead him to the daring challenge of jumping out of an airplane unaided and negotiating his way via parachute to the designated landing spot.

As the new model project leader in the Plastics department at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN), he leads the team that is responsible for making plastic injected molded parts including bumpers and instrument panels.

According to Honda, Kuhn played a key role in the construction of plastic panels that went into the 2017 CR-V and 2016 Civic at HMIN production plant. Adding to this, he prefers to work together with other departments to maximize efficiency of manufacturing new vehicles.

Speaking of his eccentric hobby, Kuhn said, “Skydiving is a very freeing experience, there’s really nothing to be afraid of. I have learned a lot by taking risks, and how do we challenge ourselves to continue to make that better cars? With a challenging spirit, anything’s possible.”

Kuhn learned to skydive about seven years ago and has completed more than 380 jumps since then. He considers it a liberating exercise and is one that has taught him several life lessons that he applies to his day job.

VW announces Polo rally contender

Volkswagen has introduced its newest entrant for the world of competitive rallying called the Polo R5 GTI. Based on the sixth generation road car of its namesake, the Polo R5 GTI will be made available as a complete rally version for professional teams and aspiring drivers to enable them to compete in championships across the globe.

“With the Polo GTI R5 we are hoping to transfer our expertise from four WRC titles to customer racing successfully, and offer a first-class racing machine for countless rally championships from national series to the WRC,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.

“Before the first race outing next year, we will subject the Polo GTI R5 to rigorous testing to make sure it is prepared for the extremely varied track conditions around the world,” he later added.

VW has released a simplified sketch of the car, which isn’t much to go on, but does provide us with a glimpse of what the car might look like. That said, it should resemble the standard Polo with the exception of aerodynamic and safety upgrades as per performance requirements.

Development of the car started earlier this year under the stewardship of Volkswagen Motorsport Technical Director, François-Xavier “FX” Demaison. He was also running the shop when the record winning Polo R WRC rally car was developed and built. As such, Demaison knows a thing or two about creating winning platforms.

Like the road going version, the Polo GTI R5 features a four cylinder turbo engine, which in this case has been tuned to develop 270bhp. It is mated to a 5-speed sequential racing transmission that sends power to all four corners via the AWD system. The car has also been fitted with a comprehensive safety package which is a requirement to compete in the R5 category.

This R5 category was created to give privateers, teams and importers the opportunity to contest national, regional and international championships with cost-effective, powerful rally cars. It allows for a more level playing field and one that isn’t reserved for only factory-backed teams.