Piston.my

Latest News

2020 could be considered a watershed year for the big global motor shows. Though the declining interest from the auto industry was slowly showing during the past decade, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and suspension of public activities for many months led carmakers to rethink how they would spend money on promotional activities.

Launching new products online, less common before, was an approach adopted by many carmakers. They could reach bigger global audiences and at less cost than the traditional high-cost events at motorshows. The need to spend big money on a one-time extravaganza became less necessary, and this meant that organisers of the big motorshows needed to change.

While some continue with a generally traditional approach, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) which has been organising the Tokyo Motor Show for many decades has decided to have a broader scope for the event.

(more…)

As the 20 F1 cars lined up on the starting grid for the last time in 2022, attention was focussed on Sergio Perez in P2 and Charles Leclerc in P3, both even in points. Max Verstappen was also world champion so the question was whether he would ‘cooperate’ to help his team mate take runner-up in the championship.

But much attention has also been on Aston Martin COGNIZANT’s Sebastian Vettel, who will be racing in F1 for the last time. Much liked, admired and respected, there were many messages of farewell (with ‘DANKE SEB’ as the tagline) and gatherings to mark the German driver’s last time with the F1 community that he has been a part of for the past 15 years.

(more…)
Race starts at 5 pm in Abu Dhabi | 9 pm in Malaysia

After 21 rounds in 19 countries, the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship has reached its final round this weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit, the venue of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009 and also where racing after sunset began for F1. Since 2014, it has been the last round of the championship and is likely to remain so till the end of the decade.

Last year saw changes made which resulted in a faster, more flowing track, with improved overtaking opportunities. The main changes were removing the old chicane at the start of the second sector and widening the following hairpin. The twisty chicanes at the start of the final sector were replaced by one long, banked corner. This has improved overtaking possibilities into the hairpin at Turn 5, at the new banked Turn 9 and in the final sector where the corners in the hotel complex were opened up.

(more…)

Sporty office chairs, some adapted from racing seats, are available these days and for gamers, there are some sophisticated designs with ideal ergonomics for long hours at the desk. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Norway has also come up with another idea for office chairs which uses many of the features from their cars.

It’s doesn’t have a name as yet and is still described as ‘one-of-a-kind’, so it’s probably a prototype. However, ‘test-drives’ will be offered at selected locations in Norway, so there might be a possibility of it being produced if demand is evident.

(more…)

Toyota, it seems, is eager to show the world that even though it will continue to offer mobility solutions that include combustion engines, it is also giving a lot of attention to developing new battery electric (BEV) models. Behind the scenes, there must be a lot of R&D going on and at the end of last year, Akio Toyoda showed no less than 17 prototype BEV Toyota and Lexus models.

Since then, the company has been rolling out new models to show that it is making rapid progress and will have a growing range of BEVs in the near future. This will soon include a model that is presently known as the bZ Compact SUV concept. It looks production-ready so expect it to be on sale sometime in 2023.

(more…)

At the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, visitors will get to see the new 6th generation of the Subaru Impreza. The Los Angeles event was the same place that Subaru first launched the Impreza 30 years ago, the only vehicle in the compact class at the time to offer all-wheel drive. The Impreza also laid the foundation for the legendary WRX, the performance car with rally championships spanning four decades.

For this new generation, Subaru has dropped the sedan bodystyle and will only offer the Impreza as a 5-door hatchback. Compared to the fifth generation’s hatchback, the new bodystyle is less bulbous with sportier looks and styling elements like the new Crosstrek.

(more…)

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube