The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Hyundai Motors, Diamond Bank renew auto financing scheme

    Hyundai Motors and Diamond Bank Plc have renewed their partnership to allow prospective car owners access soft bank loans to procure discounted Hyundai vehicles.

    Payment in the scheme – tagged ‘Hyundai/Diamond Dream Deal’ – will be by monthly instalments, without collateral or management fee.

    Hyundai Motors Nigeria Head of Sales and Marketing, Jatin Nadkarni, said the scheme was in line with Hyundai strategy and direction to make Hyundai vehicle acquisition easy.

    He said customers would aside these benefits enjoy offers, including interest as low as 14 per cent, special prices, waiver of commitment and management fees, free labour and consumables for three months with one Samsung Galaxy Tab for every car bought.

    Describing vehicle credit facility as a common practice in advanced markets, Nadkarni said the initiative is besed on the Federal Government’s National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) aimed at encouraging patronage of new vehicles, particularly home-made cars.

    The company listed some passenger and commercial vehicle models that can be procured during this bonanza as Hyundai i10, Xcent, Accent, Elantra and Hyundai H100 truck with H1 van and school bus respectively.

    He dismissed risk of hidden charges in the liberal credit facility, adding that Hyundai Motors with Diamond Bank have integrated the vehicle acquisition plan to enable more customers, including those without functional account with the bank to embrace the facility.

    “The evolving needs and preferences of prospective vehicle buyers prompted this campaign, which essentially would lessen the burden of owning a car, Nadkarni said.

    According to him, the scheme was designed to discourage used vehicle also known as tokunbo.

    “I still can’t see the wisdom in patronising tokunbo cars that doesn’t come with service history let alone offering value for money; which means, inheriting the liability of a previous user at unimaginable expense. What we are simply doing here in collaboration with Diamond Bank is to help prospective buyers starve-off the burden of sourcing funds to pay for a new car in one fell-swoop,” he added.

  • Ford sets new record with 1.1 million sales

    Ford sets new record with 1.1 million sales

    Ford has reported record sales of about 1.1 million vehicles in China last year.

    The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said last Friday that its 2015 sales in the country were up  by three percent from the previous year as demand for small sport-utility vehicles there continues to grow.

    It also set a new monthly sales record in December, selling 124,768 vehicles. That’s up 27 percent from the prior-year period.

    Ford also tapped into China’s booming market for luxury cars with 11,630 Lincoln vehicles sold during the brand’s first full year in the country, where its entire SUV line-up is offered.

    Lincoln added eight more dealerships than expected for a total of 33 in the 2015.

    The company is aiming for 60 dealerships in 50 cities by year-end.

    Jiangling Motors Corporation, Ford’s commercial vehicle investment in China, reported a six per cent decline in annual sales and a 12 per cent drop in December sales.

    The company sold 253,359 vehicles in 2015, down six  per cent compared to 2014. December sales totalled 26,391 vehicles, down 12 per cent compared to December 2014 .

  • Driving and communication

    Driving is a complex task which involves the simultaneous use of several organs of the body (eyes, ears, nose, brain, hands, and legs) in a continuously changing environment (smooth road, dusty road, roads dotted with potholes, wet road, cloudy road, dark road, etc.)

    Driving activities must be well co–ordinated, taking into consideration the activities of other road users with the goal of ensuring effective and safe vehicle control.

    At any point in time, a driver or rider must drive or ride predictably to prevent causing confusion for the upcoming and oncoming vehicles and other road users.

    Communication in driving involves the use of turn indicators (pointers), hands, hazard light (double pointers), reverse light, full and beam lights to communicate the situations or their intentions to other road users.

    There are however two very vital points which many drivers and riders(including vehicle owners) don’t know which I want to use this article to elaborate upon.

    1. Turn indicator (pointer) or hand is not the only signal to indicate that a driver or rider wants to make a turn to the right or to the left. The positioning of the vehicle is also an important signal as to where a vehicle wants to turn to. That is, whether you clearly see the pointer of the vehicle ahead of you or not, the moment you see that the front of the vehicle is tilting to the right or left, you should know that the vehicle is likely to make a turn to that direction where it is tilting to. This is another element of Hazard perception. It is also very vital that you always obey the following – distance rule to avoid being a victim in this type of situation.

    Therefore, drivers and riders must not take the turn indicator or pointer as the only signal they have to see before knowing that the vehicle ahead wants to make a turn. The driver may not know that the pointer is not working, may forget to switch it on or may deliberately move about without functional pointers.  It is however very important that every driver and rider should use the pointer and sometimes, hand to signal their intention to turn. This also should be done early enough and not too sudden.

    1. Hazard lights (double pointers) are not to be used when the vehicle is in motion. It is meant for faulty stationary vehicles. Any vehicle that is still moving on the road must not use double pointers, no matter the status of the drivers of such vehicles or their principals. If the vehicle has a fault or any form of challenge, it must not use double pointers as long as it is still moving and not parked by the road side or on the road.

    It is very common today for emergency vehicles, Police vehicles, military vehicles and several others to be using double pointers. It is against the law. when visibility is impaired (when it is cloudy or raining), you are to use the fog light or low beam and not the double pointers.

    When double pointers are used, nobody will be able to know when you want to turn right or turn left even as most drivers don’t remember to turn them off when turning thereby making their movements unpredictable to the oncoming and upcoming vehicles. This is an aspect of safety risk in driving.

    Communication is very important in driving but it must be adequately and correctly used to prevent confusion, accidents and fatalities.

  • Volkswagen unveils new SUV to win back buyers

    Volkswagen will unveil a battery-powered Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the Detroit auto show on January 11, according to company sources, part of a push into electric vehicles as it seeks to win back buyers in United States following its emissions test cheating scandal.

    The car will be a plug-in hybrid version of the Tiguan, the German automaker’s top-selling sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the two sources said last Friday.

    Analysts say Volkswagen’s core VW brand badly needs new models in the world’s second largest auto market to reverse a three-year decline in sales which fell 4.8 per cent in 2015 to 349,440 cars.

    Europe’s biggest automaker is putting increasing emphasis on electric cars following its cheating of diesel emissions tests, which analysts think could hit demand for diesel vehicles, and a focus on SUVs makes sense given their growing popularity.

    The sources said the concept model, following VW’s unveiling of an electric microbus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, would hit U.S. dealerships sometime after the planned release next year of a new midsize crossover vehicle and a long-wheelbase Tiguan.

    However, the German group is struggling to balance model development with the growing costs of its emissions scandal, a task made more difficult this week by a US lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in fines.

    The new Tiguan prototype integrates electric engines at the front and rear axles and boasts more off-road quality than the GTE concept version of VW’s fifth best-selling model launched at the Frankfurt auto show last September, the sources said.

    Still, demand for hybrid and electric cars has been dampened by cheap gasoline as well as limited range and high prices.

    US sales of hybrid and all electric vehicles plunged 16 per cent in the first 11 months of 2015 compared with the year before to 452,338 cars, the Electric Drive Transportation Association said.

    However, regulators are requiring automakers to sell more electric cars to curb greenhouse emissions and VW is keen to redouble efforts in the wake of its emissions scandal.

    “Perhaps VW was so successful building cars in a conventional way that the necessity to fully engage with several new aspects of mobility has not been recognised,” chief executive Matthias Mueller said last Wednesday. “That is now different.”

    VW plans to expand its MQB modular platform – the base for most of the group’s small and medium front-wheel-drive models – to build long-range plug-in hybrids and electric cars.

    It also aims to develop a new modular platform dubbed MEB for compact electric cars and light commercial vehicles and launch 20 battery-powered or plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2020.

  • Jaguar Land Rover reports record sales in Europe

    Jaguar Land Rover reported record sales last year as the brand’s revival under India’s Tata Motors continued.
    JLR’s global volume rose 24 percent to 487,065 as gains in Europe and the U.S. offset falling demand in China, the company said in a statement.
    New models such as the Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport boosted sales, JLR sales chief Andy Goss said in the statement.
    Mainland Europe was the company’s largest sales region with volume up 28 percent to 110,298. Sales in the UK, the company’s biggest single market, rose by 21 percent to 100,636. JLR’s volume in North America increased by 25 percent to 94,066.
    Volume in China fell 24 percent to 92,474 as sales were hit by a slowing market and a major industrial explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin in last August that destroyed JLR models stored there.
    Land Rover accounted for the bulk of JLR sales with record sales of 403,079, up six percent on the year before.
    Jaguar has its strongest year in a decade with volume up by three percent to 83,986. The brand’s best year was 2002 when it sold 103,000 units shortly after the launch of the X-Type. Jaguar expects its new XE and XF sedans, and F-Pace SUV, to lift sales this year. Analysts IHS Automotive forecasts Jaguar sales to reach 200,000 by 2018.
    JLR has said it expects to increase sales to about 850,000 by 2020 as it adds new models and expands production abroad.
    The company plans to open a factory in Slovakia in 2018 and will this year start production of the Land Rover Discovery Sport in a new plant in Brazil. The company opened a factory in China in 2014. The plant builds the Range Rover Evoque.
    “With China slowing even further, 2016 may be a difficult year for Jaguar Land Rover,” said Deepesh Rathore, director at Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors. “The good news for JLR is that their portfolio and volumes are still small and so, as they add new models, they will continue growing, albeit at a slower pace.”
    JLR’s best-seller last year was the Range Rover Evoque compact SUV with global sales of just over 108,000, down 13 percent on the year before. In second place was the Range Rover Sport large SUV with sales up six percent to 87,319. No. 3 was the Land Rover Discovery Sport with sales of 69,501.
    Last year was JLR’s its sixth consecutive year of sales gains after Tata Motors, which bought the automaker from Ford Motor in 2008, invested heavily in the company’s revival.

  • Renault-Nissan plans more than 10 self-drive cars

    The alliance between carmakers Renault and Nissan will launch more than 10 cars with self-driving technology over the next four years in the United States, Europe, China and Japan, the partnership‘s leader Carlos Ghosn has said.

    The alliance also said it has hired technology executive Ogi Redzic to lead its connected car efforts as senior vice president for connected vehicles and mobility services. Redzic most recently worked at mapping business Nokia Here, overseeing the automotive business group.

    Vehicles with self-driving technology will debut this year, said Ghosn, chief executive of Renault and chairman of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The cars will have a feature called “single-lane control” that allows them to drive autonomously on highways without switching lanes.

    Renault-Nissan will also launch an app for mobile devices this year that allows users to interact remotely with their cars, such as controlling music or the car‘s temperature.

    By 2018, Ghosn said the alliance will start selling vehicles with “multiple-lane control”, meaning they can autonomously change lanes on highways and navigate heavy traffic. By 2020, the alliance will have cars that can drive through city intersections and heavy city traffic on their own.

    Several companies, including Tesla Motors and Google Incoporation, are working to build self-driving cars and technology that allows users to control their cars from their smartphones.

    Renault-Nissan is a partnership between Paris-based Renault and Japanese carmaker Nissan that combined the companies‘ engineering teams. They still also operate as two separate companies.

  • Renault-Nissan plans more than 10 self-drive cars

    Renault-Nissan plans more than 10 self-drive cars

    The alliance between carmakers Renault and Nissan will launch more than 10 cars with self-driving technology over the next four years in the United States, Europe, China and Japan, the partnership‘s leader Carlos Ghosn has said.

    The alliance also said it has hired technology executive Ogi Redzic to lead its connected car efforts as senior vice president for connected vehicles and mobility services. Redzic most recently worked at mapping business Nokia Here, overseeing the automotive business group.

    Vehicles with self-driving technology will debut this year, said Ghosn, chief executive of Renault and chairman of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The cars will have a feature called “single-lane control” that allows them to drive autonomously on highways without switching lanes.

    Renault-Nissan will also launch an app for mobile devices this year that allows users to interact remotely with their cars, such as controlling music or the car‘s temperature.

    By 2018, Ghosn said the alliance will start selling vehicles with “multiple-lane control”, meaning they can autonomously change lanes on highways and navigate heavy traffic. By 2020, the alliance will have cars that can drive through city intersections and heavy city traffic on their own.

    Several companies, including Tesla Motors and Google Incoporation, are working to build self-driving cars and technology that allows users to control their cars from their smartphones.

    Renault-Nissan is a partnership between Paris-based Renault and Japanese carmaker Nissan that combined the companies‘ engineering teams. They still also operate as two separate companies.

  • Toyota Land Cruiser: comfort meets ruggedness

    Toyota Land Cruiser: comfort meets ruggedness

    The 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser gets a new eight-speed automatic transmission for better acceleration. New safety features include a front collision avoidance system with pedestrian detection, plus blind spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems make it stands out, writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

    With the ability to trace its roots back to 1957 and a legion of loyal fans around the world, the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the most well-known Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) on the road. But if one is not planning to utilise its legendary off-road abilities to their fullest, however, Toyota’s iconic rig loses some of its appeal.

    While the big V8 engine boasts 381 horsepower, it returns a sobering 15 mpg combined. Inside, the Land Cruiser disappoints with a cramped third-row seat that doesn’t fold into the floor to maximise cargo space. There is also the Land Cruiser’s luxury-grade price. It is largely justified considering how much equipment comes standard, but it does put this big three-row SUV in a different league.

    A prime option would be the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. It combines a lower MSRP, diverse powertrain options, a more spacious third-row seat and a luxurious image, albeit without the Toyota’s all-terrain chops. The 2016 GMC Yukon Denali and 2016 Cadillac Escalade also have greater high-end appeal. Finally, if it’s the ability to keep going after the pavement stops one is after, consider the 2016 Land Rover LR4, which delivers a similar combination of off-road capability and luxury trappings.

    Ultimately, the Land Cruiser excels at going where most other SUVs would rightly fear to tread, and it could make for a capable vehicle for towing as well. But it might not be the best choice for buyers who face nothing more challenging than the occasional parking lot speed bump.

     

    Body styles

     

    The 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser is an eight-passenger SUV available in a single, fully loaded trim level.

    Standard features include 18-inch wheels, automatic LED headlights and running lights, foglights, auto-dimming and power-folding heated mirrors, automatic wipers, deep-tinted rear privacy glass, a sunroof, a roof rack, a rear spoiler, running boards, LED taillights and keyless entry and ignition.

    Interior features include four-zone automatic climate control with separate second-row controls and third-row vents, perforated leather upholstery, heated and ventilated power front seats (10-way driver, eight-way passenger), driver seat memory settings, heated 40/20/40-split second-row seats (sliding and reclining), 50/50-split third-row seats that fold up to either side of the cargo area, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with leather and wood trim, and a centre console cooler box.

    Standard technology features include adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, and a “multi-terrain monitor” off-road camera system with selectable front, side or rear views. Also included are a navigation system with a large nine-inch touchscreen interface and voice controls, Qi wireless phone charging, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, a dual-screen rear-seat DVD entertainment system and Toyota’s Entune suite of smartphone app-based services. The 14-speaker JBL sound system includes a CD player, satellite radio, HD radio and an iPod/USB audio interface.

     

    Powertrains

     

    The Land Cruiser is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 that cranks out an impressive 381 hp and 401 pound-feet of torque. A new eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive are standard. EPA-estimated fuel economy remains 15 mpg combined (13 city/18 highway), however, the same as last year.

    The Land Cruiser features a locking centre differential, the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (which electronically adjusts the stabiliser bars for improved on-road handling or maximum off-road capability), Multi-Terrain Select (which tailors the stability and traction control settings to specific surfaces), a five-speed crawl control (essentially a low-speed off-road cruise control), hill-start assist and Off-Road Turn Assist (which applies brakes to the inside wheels in a corner to improve turning response).

    Maximum towing capacity for the Land Cruiser is a beefy 8,100 pounds.

     

    Safety

     

    Standard safety features on the Toyota Land Cruiser include antilock brakes, stability and traction control, trailer-sway control, hill-start assist, front and rear parking sensors, front knee airbags, front- and second-row side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. A rearview camera is also standard. New this year are blind spot monitoring, rear cross-path warning, lane departure warning and a forward collision system that has the ability to detect both other vehicles and pedestrians and provide emergency braking at low speeds.

    Every Land Cruiser is equipped with Toyota’s Safety Connect system, which includes automatic collision notification, on-demand roadside assistance and a stolen vehicle locator.

     

    Interior design and special features

     

    Inside, the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser offers an upscale passenger cabin decked out in high-quality materials. Even so, the overall effect feels less high-end than some of its luxury brand competitors.

    Up front, seats offer good comfort and support and the power-adjustable driver seat and steering wheel make it easy to find an ideal driving position. Second-row passengers enjoy heated seats that slide fore and aft and recline for greater comfort. As with many traditional SUVs, the third-row seats’ combination of a low bottom cushion and limited legroom make them unsuitable for anyone over the age of 12.

    With that third-row seat in use, cargo capacity is just 16 cubic feet. Fold both halves of that 50/50-split seat up against the sides of the cargo compartment (a design that unfortunately eats up space) and one end up with a still modest 43 cubic feet. Lay the second-row seats flat as well and one ends up with just under 82 cubic feet, a number that falls short of many competitors.

    When it comes to technology, the Land Cruiser is surprisingly user-friendly. Bright, clear gauges and simplified controls make performing basic functions a snap. The updated Entune app-based infotainment system features a new, larger 9-inch centre-mounted touchscreen with Siri Eyes Free technology that allows users to access their iPhone’s features with the touch of a steering-wheel-mounted button. The new dual-screen video entertainment system is a plus, as is the multiview camera system that’s useful both on and off-road. Finally, the new Qi wireless charging system allows owners of compatible cell phones to top off their batteries without futzing with charging cables.

  • Jaguar Land Rover reports record sales in Europe

    Jaguar Land Rover reported record sales last year as the brand’s revival under India’s Tata Motors continued.

    JLR’s global volume rose 24 percent to 487,065 as gains in Europe and the U.S. offset falling demand in China, the company said in a statement.

    New models such as the Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport boosted sales, JLR sales chief Andy Goss said in the statement.

    Mainland Europe was the company’s largest sales region with volume up 28 percent to 110,298. Sales in the UK, the company’s biggest single market, rose by 21 percent to 100,636. JLR’s volume in North America increased by 25 percent to 94,066.

    Volume in China fell 24 percent to 92,474 as sales were hit by a slowing market and a major industrial explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin in last August that destroyed JLR models stored there.

    Land Rover accounted for the bulk of JLR sales with record sales of 403,079, up six percent on the year before.

    Jaguar has its strongest year in a decade with volume up by three percent to 83,986. The brand’s best year was 2002 when it sold 103,000 units shortly after the launch of the X-Type. Jaguar expects its new XE and XF sedans, and F-Pace SUV, to lift sales this year. Analysts IHS Automotive forecasts Jaguar sales to reach 200,000 by 2018.

    JLR has said it expects to increase sales to about 850,000 by 2020 as it adds new models and expands production abroad.

    The company plans to open a factory in Slovakia in 2018 and will this year start production of the Land Rover Discovery Sport in a new plant in Brazil. The company opened a factory in China in 2014. The plant builds the Range Rover Evoque.

    “With China slowing even further, 2016 may be a difficult year for Jaguar Land Rover,” said Deepesh Rathore, director at Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors. “The good news for JLR is that their portfolio and volumes are still small and so, as they add new models, they will continue growing, albeit at a slower pace.”

    JLR’s best-seller last year was the Range Rover Evoque compact SUV with global sales of just over 108,000, down 13 percent on the year before. In second place was the Range Rover Sport large SUV with sales up six percent to 87,319. No. 3 was the Land Rover Discovery Sport with sales of 69,501.

    Last year was JLR’s its sixth consecutive year of sales gains after Tata Motors, which bought the automaker from Ford Motor in 2008, invested heavily in the company’s revival.

  • Driving and communication

    Driving and communication

    Driving is a complex task which involves the simultaneous use of several organs of the body (eyes, ears, nose, brain, hands, and legs) in a continuously changing environment (smooth road, dusty road, roads dotted with potholes, wet road, cloudy road, dark road, etc.)

    Driving activities must be well co–ordinated, taking into consideration the activities of other road users with the goal of ensuring effective and safe vehicle control.

    At any point in time, a driver or rider must drive or ride predictably to prevent causing confusion for the upcoming and oncoming vehicles and other road users.

    Communication in driving involves the use of turn indicators (pointers), hands, hazard light (double pointers), reverse light, full and beam lights to communicate the situations or their intentions to other road users.

    There are however two very vital points which many drivers and riders(including vehicle owners) don’t know which I want to use this article to elaborate upon.

    1. Turn indicator (pointer) or hand is not the only signal to indicate that a driver or rider wants to make a turn to the right or to the left. The positioning of the vehicle is also an important signal as to where a vehicle wants to turn to. That is, whether you clearly see the pointer of the vehicle ahead of you or not, the moment you see that the front of the vehicle is tilting to the right or left, you should know that the vehicle is likely to make a turn to that direction where it is tilting to. This is another element of Hazard perception. It is also very vital that you always obey the following – distance rule to avoid being a victim in this type of situation.

    Therefore, drivers and riders must not take the turn indicator or pointer as the only signal they have to see before knowing that the vehicle ahead wants to make a turn. The driver may not know that the pointer is not working, may forget to switch it on or may deliberately move about without functional pointers.  It is however very important that every driver and rider should use the pointer and sometimes, hand to signal their intention to turn. This also should be done early enough and not too sudden.

    1. Hazard lights (double pointers) are not to be used when the vehicle is in motion. It is meant for faulty stationary vehicles. Any vehicle that is still moving on the road must not use double pointers, no matter the status of the drivers of such vehicles or their principals. If the vehicle has a fault or any form of challenge, it must not use double pointers as long as it is still moving and not parked by the road side or on the road.

    It is very common today for emergency vehicles, Police vehicles, military vehicles and several others to be using double pointers. It is against the law. when visibility is impaired (when it is cloudy or raining), you are to use the fog light or low beam and not the double pointers.

    When double pointers are used, nobody will be able to know when you want to turn right or turn left even as most drivers don’t remember to turn them off when turning thereby making their movements unpredictable to the oncoming and upcoming vehicles. This is an aspect of safety risk in driving.

    Communication is very important in driving but it must be adequately and correctly used to prevent confusion, accidents and fatalities.