Category: Motoring

Following the partnership deal, Dangote Group, the biggest customer of SHACMAN brand in Nigeria, has taken delivery of additional 400 trucks.

Dangote Group, touted as the largest buyer of SHACMAN brand in Nigeria, has since the entrance of SHACMAN vehicles into the Nigerian market through Transit Support Services Limited (TSS) as SHACMAN Nigeria six years ago, bought over 3,500 units of the brand.

It was learnt that Dangote’s recognition of SHACMAN as reliable heavy-duty vehicles, influenced the patronage of the trucks.

According to the truck firm, Dangote group has absolute trust in the quality of the locally-assembled SHACMAN trucks that are backed by a warranty of global standard and after-sales services.

Since the partnership started in 2016 with an initial order of 500 locally-assembled SHACMAN Trucks by Dangote, the company’s commitment to empowering local manufacturers and the continuous patronage have created jobs in the Southeast by reviving ANAMMCO plant in Enugu with an opportunity to produce trucks locally instead of importing them.

The gesture has also brought back Onne Port in Rivers State with over 3,000 containers arrived since ANAMMCO was resuscitated

TSS Motors’ General Manager, Mr Dave Chukwudulue, said: “We will continue to create value for users of SHACMAN trucks in Nigeria by supporting them with the best after-sales service programme. This has indeed resulted in the increasing demand for our trucks”

Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile, Manufacturers of SHACMAN Heavy and Medium Duty Trucks and Road Tractors, is one of the biggest truck manufacturing company in China. With other customers like BUA Cement, ABC Transport, AA Global logistics, NUSTANZA Motors and many others, TSS said over 4,500 SHACMAN trucks are running on the roads at the moment.

Honda is the latest automaker to announce plans to have a full-electric lineup.

It said on Friday that it aims to have its entire fleet generate zero emissions by 2040, with both batteries and hydrogen fuel cells to play a part.

The target is later than what some rival automakers have set, such as Cadillac which only last week said it will be full electric by 2030. Jaguar has the most ambitious target, having set itself a deadline of 2025.

Honda has been a bit behind the competition when it comes to electric vehicles. Its Clarity Electric from a couple of years back had a piddling 89 miles of range.

The automaker’s next Electric Vehicles (EV) salvo in North America will arrive for the 2024 model year, by way of General Motors. In a deal announced in 2020, GM will build two EVs based on its Ultium platform for Honda. One of them will be an Acura. The two vehicles are expected to be large crossovers.

In the second half of the decade, Honda will launch additional EVs, this time based on an in-house developed platform dubbed e:Architecture. With these EVs, plus those based on GM’s Ultium platform, Honda predicts that 40 per cent of its lineup, at least in North America, will be electric by 2030.

Impressively, Honda also said it plans to deploy vehicles with solid-state batteries within the second half of this decade. The technology, which Honda is developing, has the potential to dramatically increase the capacity of batteries while lowering the cost compared to the liquid-type batteries currently used by EVs. Honda said it will start trial production of solid-state batteries as early as this year.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Hyundai Motor Company has won 14 awards at the world-renowned International Forum (iF) Design Award 2021 for design excellence, including iF’s top Gold award for the ‘E-pit ultra-fast charger’ for electric vehicles (EV).

The feat made it seven consecutive times Hyundai Motor coasted home the iF Design Awards, including three coveted Gold awards, which go to only 75 of the best designs among nearly 10,000 annual entries.

Hyundai triumphed across various disciplines such as product, communication, user interface, architecture, and professional concept.

In particular, the company was recognised for its brand communication design with six awards in the communication category for the first time.

Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer, Thomas Schemera, said: “This award is considered to be the part in which Hyundai has been fully recognised by global experts in the field of brand communication beyond product design. In the future, we will strengthen our activities to build an innovative brand image through creative and sustainable customer experiences.”

The auto giant was delighted with the Gold award through its ‘E-pit ultra-fast charger’ which greatly improves user experience by solving several problems that are typically found in Electric Vehicles (EV) chargers such as bulky cables, complicated operation and service use, unclear charging status, hygiene (especially important during a pandemic) as well as production and maintenance.

Inspired by the pit stops of Formula One racing, Hyundai Design Center designed E-pit to offer fast, easy, convenient and premium services to EV customers. It’s easy to use and provides a simple yet powerful design solution that considers a variety of things from hygiene to maintenance.

Head of Hyundai Global Design Centre Senior Vice President SangYup Lee, said: “Innovative design comes out when the designer focuses on the user’s experience as the top priority. The E-pit design is the absolute result of our efforts to offer a new charging experience to customers.”

E-pit’s design considers various charging scenarios based on Hyundai Motor’s human-centered philosophy. For example, its large roof provides a comfortable charging experience regardless of weather conditions. Moreover, the auto-positioning feature, which automatically moves the charging cable, allows diverse charging positions for different vehicles.

‘Hyundai x BTS Goods’ is a global hydrogen campaign with merchandise designed to promote sustainability consciousness to MZ generations. Most of the merchandise use repurposed car materials and upcycled flex fabrics. Eco bags are composed of innovative new materials like Tyvek, which leaves no environmental impact.

‘Hyundai COVID-19 Campaign: Safety First’ uses an interactive Hyundai logo to deliver clear COVID-19 prevention notifications. With this campaign, Hyundai enhanced its emotional connection with customers by showing its mind-set about sustaining better humanity.

The iF Design Award is among the largest and most important design competitions in the world. It was founded in 1954 by iF International Forum Design GmbH in Hanover, one of the world’s leading independent design institutions.

This year, the competition, for which more than 9,500 entries were submitted by participants from 52 countries, featured several innovations. These include a digital preliminary round (‘Online Preselection’), in which half of the submissions are selected for the final round (‘Final Jury’), a transparent evaluation of all categories, including new disciplines ‘user experience’ (UX) and ‘user interface’ (UI). The other categories are Product, Communication, Packaging and Service Design, Architecture, Interior Design and Professional Concepts. This year, the iF jury comprised 98 independent international design experts. All award-winning products are published in the ‘iF World Design Guide’ (ifworlddesignguide.com) and in the iF Design App.

Ariya will be Nissan’s first electric Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) when it goes on sale in the United States later in the year. The compact SUV has a starting price around $40,000. If the 2022 Ariya is any indication, Nissan’s future is promising. The Ariya’s styling is clean inside and out, and there’s a sensible use of technology, reports TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO with agency addition.

The 2022 Nissan Ariya is an all-electric crossover SUV that will go on sale at the end of 2021. Prices will start around $40,000 for the base model that features a 63-kWh battery. Nissan will also offer an 87-kWh battery that is projected to return 300 miles of range. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive (Nissan calls it “e-4orce”) will be available with both batteries.

Importantly, the 2022 Ariya marks a turning point for Nissan. The brand has been revamped, moving forward with a sophisticated design philosophy that appears to be more thoughtfully executed. There’s even a new Nissan logo.

Power output ranges from 215 to 389 horsepower depending on the battery size and whether it’s front- or all-wheel drive. The Ariya’s torque output ranges from 221 to 443 lb-ft.

The Ariya will come with a full suite of active safety and driver assistance systems, including Nissan’s answer to Tesla’s Autopilot, which it calls ProPILOT Assist v2.0. Under certain conditions—primarily divided highways that aren’t too twisty—ProPILOT will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel. Like Cadillac’s Super Cruise, the Ariya has a monitoring system that attempts to ascertain whether the driver is paying attention to the road ahead.

Interestingly, Nissan’s spec sheet said the Ariya will have DC fast-charger capability using the Combined Charging System (CCS). This is different from the CHAdeMO-style connector Nissan has been using on its Leaf EV. Nissan says the Ariya can fast-charge up to a rate of 130 kW, which is enough to replenish 80 per cent of range in only 20 minutes.

The battery, platform, and motors were all developed under the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, foreshadowing the potential Renault-ification of the Ariya for other markets.

The Ariya will also offer a version of the Nissan Leaf’s e-pedal that allows the driver to accelerate, decelerate and stop by using only the accelerator pedal. This one-pedal driving system helps to alleviate fatigue in heavy traffic.

Another interesting note is how the SUV’s regenerative braking is tuned; Nissan said the Ariya could be brought to a complete stop without depressing the brake pedal, thanks to the drag from the regenerative-braking system, but customer feedback revealed this pseudo-autonomy proved a bit unnatural. As a result, engineers designed a small amount of creep into the setup.

For years, the Leaf has been one of the most affordable electric cars available. With the Ariya’s Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) body style and range of up to 300 miles, however, Nissan says to expect a base price of around $40,000. Even though that’s many thousands above the base Leaf, the Ariya’s pricing may actually prove to be competitive with upcoming competitors including Chevy’s electric SUV and the Volkswagen ID4.

Ariya’s stark interior design is similar to Tesla’s simple horizontal dash. But rather than use a large vertical center screen, Nissan went with two wide screens in a single and striking glass ribbon that is similar to Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX infotainment system. Capacitive-touch climate control buttons are integrated into the lower wood (or a very convincing wood-substitute) trim.

Less noticeable but no less noteworthy is the almost flat floor and delicately perforated metal trim element that separates the driver’s footwell from the front passenger’s. The centre console holds the “gear selector” and can also slide forward or back to suit the driver’s preference. Nissan’s praiseworthy Zero Gravity seats are also present.

In addition to the typically advanced safety features contained within Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite, the Ariya will offer ProPilot 2.0. This next-generation semi-automated driving system promises hands-free driving on single-lane highways. The driver will still need to pay attention to the road, and sensors will disable the system if the driver is distracted.

Voice control should be able to make up for the lack of physical buttons, and Amazon Alexa control and monitoring are included. The system will also evolve over time thanks to over-the-air-updates. Apple CarPlay and Android will also be included.

In Southwest Nigeria, Ariya means merriment and Nissan Ariya will definitely thrilled partygoers.

Nissan’s stated cargo capacity is similar to what drivers would expect from a family sedan rather than a small SUV. The front-wheel-drive Ariya can accommodate up to 16.5 cubic feet of cargo, while the all-wheel-drive variant drops to 14.6 cubic feet. Presumably, these figures represent what’s behind the second-row seats. Drivers can fold down the rear seats to open up additional cargo space.

Interior storage doesn’t appear to be generous from the pictures — it’s limited to the armrest bin, a smaller bin next to the shifter, and some moderately sized door pockets.

With the lion’s share of mechanical gubbins left on the shelf, the 2022 Nissan Ariya makes strong use of the flat-floor design to maximise passenger comfort. To round out the Blade Runner vibe, Nissan did its best to eliminate physical buttons from the interior, instead of functioning with a suite of haptic touch panels that operate the climate control and drive selection. For regular infotainment duties and for the gauge cluster, dual 12.3-inch screens dominate the dash, presumably loaded with enough requisite techy features to woo Silicon Valley types.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Coscharis Motors Plc has announced offers for its range of auto products for the entire period of Easter.

The offers range from favourable pricing, giveaways, complementary insurance, to registration and services.

Its General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Abiona Babarinde, said: “Existing customers and new customers now have the opportunity to drive away either the Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Ford or Renault variants with ad-on during this Easter period.

This is another way of appreciating our numerous loyal customers who have been consistent with their patronage over the years to enjoy these special offerings to celebrate the Easter festive season. Also, as a way of cultivating new customers, we are equally extending this package to accommodate all our hot prospects alike to own any of our iconic brands with ease”.

Price offers ranges from five per cent upwards across the brands, every Renault (Kwid & Koleos) purchase comes with a free Abro generator while Jaguar Land Rover offers a complementary five years warranty and five years free service including special pricing for the Jaguar E Pace.  It is important to note that these offers are only valid while stocks last. Major price slashes are offered for the Ford Escape, BMW X4, 4 and 3 series, among others.

According to Babarinde, the value for money that the Coscharis brand brings to the market at this point is the product mix that gives the opportunity to customers to own different products within the group for a lesser amount like getting an Abro generator with a vehicle purchase.

Rolls-Royce Ghost buyers have a lot of money and Rolls-Royce is willing to take as much of it as possible. In exchange, buyers get the ultimate in luxury personalised to their tastes with a starting price of $440,225, writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO with agency reports

The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost comes up with new ways to pamper passengers. The “interior suite” has the requisite features drivers can get in most luxury cars: heated and cooled seats, multiple power-seat adjustments, seat massagers front and rear, and four-zone automatic climate control.

Then there are the features that you don’t expect: doors that open and close automatically at the push of a button or pull of a handle, rear infotainment controls, heated armrests, rear seat tables, plush lamb’s wool carpeting, and umbrellas in the doors.

It’s a special day when a Rolls-Royce graces your driveway. A rolling tribute to the spoils of wealth, the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost manages to be stately and classy, but not crass or ostentatious. It’s resolutely committed to quality, so much so that you want to up your game as a driver. You want to dress better, act more civilised, show it to your friends and family, and attempt to live a more sophisticated life.

The Ghost is full of details that surprise and delight. The spirit of ecstasy hood ornament rises and retracts when the car is turned on and off. The starlight headliner has thousands of pinhole lights to approximate the night sky and it even simulates shooting stars. The passenger side of the dash has 850 stars of its own lit by 152 LEDs, and yet they’re not visible during the day.

More than the party tricks, the Ghost is built to an exacting standard. The metal controls are cold to the touch and move with weighty precision. The leather is buttery smooth, and all the tolerances are tight.

Even the sound is a purposeful whisper that isn’t as disorienting as complete quiet. The floors and cowl are double skinned to sandwich sound deadener, the tires have sound deadener of their own, the seat frames are damped to match the interior frequency, and ports were added under the parcel shelf to equalise highway thrum with the interior frequency as well.

This creates a serene environment for driver and passengers alike and makes the Ghost, perhaps, the most comfortable road trip car on the market.

Beyond sound, the Ghost employs a lot of technology to isolate occupants from the feel of the road, and it works incredibly well. The suspension technology starts with the high-end basics: air springs and adaptive dampers.

From there, Rolls-Royce further damps the ride with a damper on a damper. Each of the front wishbones has an additional damper on top of it to damp the already damped road imperfections. That damping is further done proactively with the Flagbearer system that uses stereo cameras in the windshield to read the road ahead and prepare the suspension for upcoming bumps and ruts. Flagbearer also uses the satellite navigation system to determine the location of the car and change the gears in the 8-speed automatic transmission to prepare for bends and corners.

The upshot of all this technology is the smoothest ride. Despite 22-inch wheels, minor road imperfections never get through to the well-heeled backsides of riders, and larger bumps are only minor disturbances. Rolls-Royce calls it Magic Carpet Ride, and that name couldn’t be more appropriate.

It’s just as much of a pleasure to drive the Ghost as it is to be driven in it. Yes, it still drives like a land yacht, but a smaller more controllable land yacht than the last generation. A lot of suspension technology and an exclusive Rolls-Royce aluminium spaceframe architecture that also underpins the flagship Phantom sedan and Cullinan SUV create a controlled ride that already established as exceedingly comfortable.

A big car at 218.5 inches long, the Ghost is packed with features that also make it heavy at 5,628 pounds. However, standard all-wheel drive and subtle engine tuning keep the 563-hp twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V-12 tamed, rear-wheel steering makes the car feel shorter than it is, and the aforementioned air suspension and adaptive dampers counter much of the body lean.

It still leans in corners but not so much that passengers will spill their Perrier-Jouet or have to look up from their MacBook Airs. It’s not nearly as sporty as a BMW 7-Series, but it’s also even more comfortable than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is the benchmark luxury sedan for mere mortals.