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Nissan’s unconventional test approach

Contrary to popular belief, some automakers utilize odd methods to determine paintwork durability. Nissan USA, has a miniature car wash about the size and shape of a popcorn machine that serves an important role at its Technical Centre in Michigan, USA.

As its name suggests, it is equipped with a spinning brush that has vibrant blue bristles, which whisk away at paint samples. For illustration purposes, a red 1:16 scale model of the 370Z is passed through the machine to study the damage that a regular car wash would do to the paint that Nissan uses.

In practice, paint is applied to rectangular plates, which are placed into the miniature car wash and tested multiple times to ensure a top-quality finish that lasts. Nissan’s little contraption is said to mimic the real thing, its brush rotates at 180rpm, causing the bristles to pelt the painted samples repeatedly as water jets spray water.

A special layer, called the ‘Arizona Dirt’ is applied to paint samples to replicate real-world grit, and allow for more practical understanding of the abuse that vehicle paintwork have to endure, especially when it comes time to wash them clean.

Testing methodology differ between manufacturers, but at Nissan, a miniature car wash is what they prefer. In reality, car wash centres may not use the best of tools when cleaning customers’ cars, which is why test such as these are conducted. Rough cloths or bristles can scratch clear coats and abrade paint, so durability is important.

Hyundai Kona earns 5-Star rating

Hyundai’s newest vehicle, the Kona has received high marks in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash safety tests. The independent European body determined that the Kona deserved a 5 star rating, the highest distinction possible in all four categories: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian and Safety Assist.

“The five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP for the All-New KONA proves that our newest SUV fulfills the highest standards for the safety of our customers,” says Thomas A. Schmid, Chief Operating Officer at Hyundai Motor Europe. “The top result demonstrates that Hyundai Motor not only offers technology-driven and innovative solutions, but also makes them easily accessible to everyone.”

The compact SUV completed the required tests with more than satisfactory results thanks to it’s slew of safety tech. Most notable of the lot have to be Lane Keep Assist and Autonomous Emergency Braking. The former monitors vehicle movements, prompting drivers to keep within the white lines when they stray off course. It does give off audible and visual warnings before stepping in to steer it back on track.

The latter, which is becoming commonplace on many new vehicles, monitors the road ahead via radar and camera sensors. If the system senses an impending collision, it warns drivers both visually and audibly. If the driver continues to ignore the warnings, the system will step in and apply the appropriate braking pressure to avoid or lesson the severity of an impact.

Apart from these, the Kona also benefits from having High-Beam Assist (HBA) with Static Low Beam Assist, Driver Attention Alert (DAA), Blind-Spot Detection (BSD) and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCCA). Together, these safety features makes up Hyundai’s SmartSense system. Adding to this, the car also offers SUV capabilities, allowing drivers to traverse tricky terrain in a safe manner.

Volvo to work with public to ready autonomous cars

Volvo is one of the pioneers of autonomous cars, this news isn’t new. What is however, is the fact that the Swedish automaker will be developing its fleet of self driving vehicles with the help of regular civilians. Select Swedish families will be responsible for testing these cars on the public roads of Gothenburg and feedback their impressions to Volvo Cars engineers.

The first two families of this pilot programme are the Hains and Simonovskis. They will be tasked with driving their respective XC90 SUV on daily commutes to help the automaker iron out some of the creases with its systems. Called the Drive Me project, data collected here will allow engineers to monitor and study the acquired data from these vehicles.

https://youtu.be/xQvpUZQzcBg

Drive Me will involve real customers who will be responsible for testing various stages of Volvo’s autonomous system from driver-assisted to fully autonomous. During the initial stages, drivers will need to keep their hands on the steering wheel while the vehicles are in motion. Later on, they will be exposed to more advanced autonomous functions after attending special training sessions.

“Drive Me is an important research project for Volvo Cars,” said Henrik Green, Senior Vice President for the company’s R&D department. “We expect to learn a lot from engaging these families and will use their experiences to shape the development of our autonomous driving technology, so that by 2021 we can offer our customers a fully autonomous car.”

https://youtu.be/gv8Vw8yiliI

These XC90 vehicles have been fitted with Volvo’s latest driver-assistance technology, as well as an array of cameras and sensors. The initial stages of the programme will take place in a controlled environment under the supervision of a Volvo Cars safety expert. Once the Hains and Simonovskis get the hang of things, they will be allowed to use these vehicles as their daily drivers.

Volvo plans on launching its first fully autonomous car for the general public by 2021. And the data acquired through Drive Me, will play a vital role for the automaker as it prepares its technology for mass production.

Ford Focus RS is experiencing engine problems

Ford’s hothatch, the Focus RS, may not be as perfect as we hoped it would. According to a recent article by Autocar UK, several owners if the latest car have reported seeing white smoke from the exhaust. This is a result of coolant being burnt during cold running. A remedy has yet to be established but Ford has stated that a fix will be rolled out to all customers, even ones not affected by the issue.

Several affected owners have already had their engines replaced with ones that are of the latest specification. Whether or not Ford resorts to swapping all these engines with newer ones, remains to be seen but there are several theories as to why the problem occurred in the first place. Some are saying that the issue could be related to the engine head gasket failing to maintain a seal, while others say it’s something worse.

The problem could also be due to the engine block itself getting distorted over the course of several heat cycles. It may not be as tolerant as Ford had hoped with coping with the demands of enthusiastic owners. Whatever the case, Ford could be looking at a major campaign to rectify the issue and help pacify disgruntled owners who yet to even to break-in their new cars.

Coincidentally, the Ford Mustang uses the same engine as the Focus RS but may not inherit the problem. Autocar UK‘s article states that the material used for the Mustang’s block differs from that used for the Focus. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated as the story unfolds.

Source: Autocar UK

Swedish Dodge Charger heads to Jay’s garage

Classic muscle cars are still in high demand in the US. The cool factor, myriad of aftermarket parts and powerful engines, are just some of the reasons why these cars are presently able to exchange hands for huge sums of money.

Jay Leno, the former Tonight Show host, has several of them. But the latest car that rolled into his shop, is something truly extraordinary. Believe it or not, this Dodge Charger was found in Sweden by Johan Eriksson, who painstakingly restored it to ‘beyond brand new’.

It was initially a race car but years of neglect had caused severe deterioration to the bodywork. Thankfully, Eriksson and his small team, managed to restore the car completely with the use of various different parts. Many of the interior’s trim pieces were crafted from aluminium.

Despite what it may look like, this 1968 Dodge Charger RTR is far from stock. In fact, it has more in common with Frankenstein than an original bearing its namesake. The car sits on a Corvette Chassis and is powered by a twin turbo V10 engine from a Viper.

It caused a bit of a stir at SEMA this year, where many stopped and took notice of the excellent level of workmanship that was carried out. The entire restoration process was tastefully done, allowing the car to look almost bone-stock from the outside, but revolutionary on the inside.

Check out the latest Jay Leno’s Garage video and let us know what you think of Eriksson’s creation and whether his efforts deserve more praise.

Classic Mustangs live on as timepieces

Die-hard Mustang fans will be happy to know that a watch company called REC Watches, has a new product line that involves building timepieces out of classic Mustangs. But it isn’t what you think, the company isn’t going about ripping apart valuable cars. Instead they acquire components from cars headed to the scrapheap.

This interesting idea is the brainchild of Christian Mygh and Jonathan Kamstrup, who together scour salvage yards around the world for Mustang models. Each car’s components can be used to create hundreds of unique timepieces, costing from $1,495 (RM6,087).

Based in Denmark, REC Watches is dedicated to this concept, and is willing to create an entirely new watch from parts given to them by customers. Once such person is World Champion Drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr., has had a timepiece specially made out of carbon fibre bodywork taken from his 700‑horsepower World Drift Series Ford Mustang RTR.

“Most people would just see a pile of metal, a ghost of a Mustang. We see something completely different – the soul of a car and a story that needs to be told,” said co-founder Mygh. “I’m not cutting up Mustangs. I’m bringing Mustangs that are beyond repair back to life as a watch.”

Behind every uniquely crafted timepiece, is a special story, which is the case here. REC Watches painstakingly trace the history of each vehicle that is used, speak with previous owners as well as collect stories and images from the car’s past life. All this information is summarized and presented to buyers and fans alike through a short video.

Each watch’s design incorporates the donor vehicle’s identification number, year of production and classic Mustang design cues. These designs include a power dial designed to look like a fuel gauge, watch hands that look like speedometer needles, date and dials that are a homage to the Mustang’s classic dashboard.

A rare 1966 Raven Black Mustang model was used to create the company’s limited edition P51-04 collection of 250 watches. Expect more of such timepieces from REC Watches because there a plethora of Mustangs at various scrapheaps waiting to be crushed. Atleast here, they get to live on as a timeless wristwatch.