Category: Motoring

Chinese authorities reportedly fear that Tesla’s electric vehicles could record sensitive location information and send data to the United States.

While the Elon Musk-led company has ramped up production in the country, including a major Model 3 and Model Y factory in Shanghai, Chinese officials now fear cameras or sensors on the cars could be a security risk.

As a result of the concerns, the use of Tesla cars will be restricted at Chinese government agencies, military facilities and housing complexes and some state-owned businesses, the newspaper said.

A government-led review of the technology inside the California-based firm’s suite of electric cars reportedly led to the decision, with officials concerned that sensors could potentially record images of locations or expose data of drivers—including mobile phone contact lists that are synced up to the car’s internal computer system.

Workers of government agencies have been asked to stop driving Tesla cars to work or complexes used to house families of those working in sensitive industries. One fear was data could be sent back to the U.S., sources said.

Bloomberg reports that notices, which said that Tesla’s cameras and sensors may “expose locations” and compromise confidential Chinese military information, appeared to be circulating on Chinese social media this week.

The Chinese government was concerned that it could not see or control what data was being collected by Tesla, Bloomberg said, adding that the military order purportedly advised owners of Tesla vehicles to park outside of any military property.

Tesla makes no secret about the fact its electric vehicles are packed full of sensors. In fact, they are a critical component in facilitating its assisted driving features.

All new Tesla cars have advanced hardware capable of providing Autopilot features as standard, with full self-driving capabilities coming in the future.

“Eight surround cameras provide 360 degrees of visibility around the car at up to 250 meters of range. Twelve updated ultrasonic sensors complement this vision, allowing for detection of… objects at nearly twice the distance of the prior system,” it said.

Tata International Nigeria is offering a five-year warranty on its medium, heavy and extra-heavy commercial vehicles.

This first-of-its-kind Pan Africa offer applies to the full range of Tata trucks, buses, as well as Daewoo trucks in all 12 markets in which Tata operates in Africa.

Chief Executive Officer, Tata International Africa, Len Brand, said the five-year warranty offer reinforces the company’s commitment to enhancing the customer ownership experience.

“We are extremely pleased to offer five years of assurance on our range of commercial vehicles while reiterating our commitment to the quality of our products.

“Given Africa’s harsh and various terrains, this warranty goes a long way towards Tata International Africa’s pursuant of offering enhanced lifecycle benefits to its customers,” Len said.

The offer applies to all Tata and Daewoo commercial vehicles registered on or after January 1, 2021, and are supported across Tata International Africa’s extensive dealership and service network including over 450 touchpoint outlets and service facilities across the continent.

As an added advantage, the company said any customer wishing to sell the vehicle will enjoy a higher value and the warranty is transferable to the next owner.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

In some areas, the Mazda MX-30 is a genuinely appealing EV. It looks great inside and out, and no other EV for this sort of money offers such a well-judged balance of ride and handling. But the tiny rear-hinged doors will be irritating for many people, and compared with similarly priced rivals, the Mazda’s range, charging capability and straight-line performance are simply not good enough.

Mazda has dabbled with electric cars for more than 50 years; its first battery-powered concept, the EX-005 microcar dates back to 1970, and it has since made zero-emission showcases of the two supermini, and even the first-generation MX-5.

So it’s surprising, that this MX-30 is its first full production. The new arrival is a compact crossover, with prices starting from £26,045, including not a free home charger.

The MX-30 borrows elements of the handsome CX-30 – particularly the chunky wheel-arch cladding – but the overall design is sleeker and lower, in part to improve aerodynamic efficiency.

From the driver’s seat, the interior has plenty of appeals, too. It doesn’t quite boast the concept-car feel of the Honda, but the quality feels great (with the exception of a section of hard plastics surrounding the gear selector). Mazda has chosen trim materials that give a nod to the past and shout about the car’s eco-credentials.

The grey fabric on the doors is made from recycled bottles, the seats are trimmed partly in vegan leather, and lower sections of the dashboard are finished in cork  – a reference to Mazda’s origins in cork production.

There are one or two quirks to the MX-30’s interior tech, too. Heating and ventilation controls are via a weird mix of a touchscreen and simple physical rotary knobs. However, the main infotainment display isn’t touch-sensitive; instead it’s controlled by a physical click wheel. While auto lovers would miss a touchscreen interface for inputting addresses while parked – or when using either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (both standard) – for the most part, this system works well and looks sharp.

Things aren’t so great further back in the cabin, though. The first obstacle is just getting in; Mazda has installed a set of rear-hinged doors at the back, which can only open once the fronts are open, so loading children or items could be a pain. They’re small, too, drivers need to slide the front seats forward, as they would on a coupé or three-door hatchback, just to make enough space to get in.

It’s not only hard to get into the MX-30, but it’s cramped too. Knee room is very tight, while the seat base is low and shallow, so it doesn’t provide much thigh support for anyone above average height. Despite the shallow roofline, headroom is fine. The boot holds up to 366 litres (341 litres on our GT Sport Tech model).

One area where the MX-30 really shines, however, is in the way it drives, delivering a brilliant blend of sporty handling and a supple ride. The weight and response of the steering are excellent, too. A Mini Electric is marginally sharper in corners and the Volkswagen ID.3 is better at isolating occupants from bumps, but as a package the MX-30 is the best EV to drive for the money.

It could be even more fun, too, if it weren’t for fairly average performance. Officially, the MX-30 covers the 0-62mph dash in 9.7 seconds, so while it’s nippy enough, it lacks the lively acceleration of the Mini.

The level of brake regeneration can be adjusted with steering wheel-mounted paddles. Five settings range from a full coast to a level that isn’t quite strong enough for one-pedal driving. Use the brake pedal, and the transition between regeneration and the traditional friction between discs and pads is imperceptible.

But the MX-30 throws up another compromise: range. Officially, it’ll cover 124 miles on a single charge, and while the average daily journey will be shorter than that, this number could limit the MX-30 to short runs and therefore second-car status.

The Mazda can’t compete on charging speed, either. The 50kW CCS connection means a 20-80 per cent charge (equating to 74 miles of extra range based on the official figures) takes 36 minutes. But a top-spec VW ID.3 accepts 125kW charging, so it could add 235 miles of range in the same period.

At least equipment is generous throughout the three MX-30 trim levels: SE-L Lux, Sport Lux and GT Sport Tech. All models get LED headlights, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, sat-nav and a head-up display. This top-spec GT Sport Tech adds a sunroof, a Bose sound system and a heated steering wheel, too.

Our Reporter

While the Nigerian automobile industry has registered negligible growth in the recent years, due to many factors including substantial neglect of the government, private enterprises have actively taken the sector and expanded its retail activities majorly through importation.

With a huge proportion of the entire sector leaning on imports by private enterprises, and little innovative growth of local automobile enterprises, most effort of the government in the sector has centered around importation policies.

The focal point of these policies has been to encourage local production while cutting in on importations through increasing import duties.

According to an article published on Nairametrics, “In November 2013, (the government) announced the introduction of a new automotive policy. The policy allows local assembly plants to import completely knocked-down vehicles at 0% duty, semi-knocked-down vehicles at 5% duty, while importers pay a 70% duty on new and previously owned vehicles.”

Regardless of the high duty percentage, the industry has still been unable to achieve the desired prospects of encouraging local assembly plants and reducing imports as more private enterprises are active in automobile imports.

Founder and CEO of Big-T Autos, an automobile retail company in Lagos, Nigeria, Mr Abel Edeh in a private interview has spoken on import policies of the government on automobile imports and the fundamental improvements it requires to help boost the sector.

He said “The current policies are created with the intention of growing the local economy and industry, but a huge lack in infrastructure makes it nearly impossible to achieve those goals even in the short term.”

He adds; “It’s important that the government factors the current condition of the entire economy and understands that some sectors are better handled by private enterprises. Although this can cause the issue of monopoly in the sector, and that’s where the government should come in. Rather than increasing import duties in a bid to aid local innovation which still seems very distant due to lack of proper infrastructures, the government should simply act as a referee by regulating players in the importation sector.

Also speaking on the issue, CEO of MFV Autos Limited, Mr. Osedebamen Odigie says “the specifications of an ideal policy is a quite an extensive topic, but generally a policy that takes care of quality assurance, grey imports and also protects the business parties involved in the market, allowing a fair environment for players in the sector to thrive on their diverse but unique abilities.”

Hopefully as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic recedes and major sectors of the Nigerian economy begins to stabilize, authorized institutions will reflect the government’s stand on automobile import policies and create a more practical solution for the sector.

Peugeot and Renault might soon start a chicken and egg conundrum with the recent reinvention of their corporate logos. Besides asking which of the rivals came up with the idea first, there’s another potential issue coming up when comparing Renault’s design against other representatives of the industry.

In late February, Stellantis’upmarket brand Peugeot decided these times of comprehensive transformations warranted a major corporate change. Thus, the French company presented to the world (both for the automotive and motorcycle divisions, so we don’t get confused) its bold new visual identity in the form of an updated logo.

The traditional lion association has been retained, but the new look eschews the humanoid-like bipedal depiction people have grown used to seeing over the past 10 years with something that may even be called a mug shot. Of course, that’s not what Peugeot wants to allude to, going for the more elegant “coat of arms adorned with a magnificent lion’s head” approach instead.

The eleventh version can be interpreted by anyone according to their heart’s desire. Renault, which, coincidence or not, have moved towards their own corporate identity realignment in some markets. As such, the latest advertising campaign for the popular Renault Zoe fully electric hatchback has revealed an equally new logo.

Actually, it’s not that new because we’ve already seen it mid-January on the tasty Renault 5 EV prototype. Back then, the French carmaker was more preoccupied with explaining what it has planned for the near future across its various brands, so it didn’t make a big fuss about its retro-styled logo.

With the recent update from the French carmakers, their logos are even more susceptible to confusion since both companies use intertwined lines for their most important element of brand identity. Of course, if it ever comes down to a dispute between them, the electric startup will most likely need to change its logo because Renault first used the rhombus in 1925.

Skoda sales and marketing boss Alain Favey will move to fellow Volkswagen Group brand Bentley later this year to replace Chris Craft in the same role.

Favey, whose career with the VW Group stretches back to 2009 and includes stints at Volkswagen, Porsche and Skoda, will oversee product launches from the British luxury brand from June as it progresses with its Beyond100 electrification strategy.

Most recently, Favey oversaw the launch of the new Enyaq iV – Skoda’s first bespoke electric production vehicle – and it was Favey who revealed to Autocar that future variants, including the already seen coupé version, are inbound.

Previously, Favey served as head of European sales for Volkswagen cars, before becoming Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Holding Salzburg – the largest car distributor in Europe.

Craft – who is retiring following a long career with the Volkswagen Group, during which he has served, separately, as United Kingdom director for Porsche, Volkswagen and Skoda – leaves Bentley as it embarks on a strategy to become fully electric in 2030.

Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark said about Favey’s appointment: “I am delighted to welcome Alain to the team. His experience and knowledge from the electrification of the Skoda brand will be extremely useful to us as we continue our journey to Beyond100.

“I would also like to thank Chris on behalf of everyone who has worked with him for his significant contribution to Bentley but also to the Volkswagen Group. I wish him all the very best in his retirement and I hope he will continue to enjoy the cars that have been such a huge part of his life and career.”

VW has outlined its future strategy – Accelerate – and that sees the company increasing the speed of its electric car plans.

The company is aiming to shift 70 per cent of European sales to electric by 2030, and 50 per cent of sales in China and the United States within the same timeframe.

That’s going to see the launch of a battery electric car every year – and VW has done us the honour of outlining what some of those models are.

The first half of 2021 will see the launch of the ID.4 GTX, that’s the all-wheel drive version of the ID.4, so we’re expecting that to be close to the ID.4 in terms of design.

That will also be followed by the ID.5 in the second half of 2021. ID. 5 is expected to be a coupe version of the ID.4, so an SUV with a faster roofline, but much the same overall car.

The ID.6 X is named as a seven-seater SUV for China to launch “in autumn” (although we’re not sure which year). Confusingly, in press materials, VW also calls this the Crozz, although we believe that turned into the ID.4 – and the ID.6 was the Roomzz concept model.

In 2025, VW said it will give us a car that slots in under the ID.3, meaning that it’s going to be a sort of e-Up!, in super mini size.

Future electric cars: Upcoming battery-powered cars that will be on the roads within the next five years By Chris Hall.

On top of this, VW has committed to pushing out software updates for ID cars over the air, on a 12-week schedule. This is due to start from summer 2021 and will bring software optimisations and sometimes new features or options.

The focus on software updates is undoubtedly a response to the sort of software experience that Tesla drivers have enjoyed, with regular updates to the car being one the things that’s often celebrated.

In 2026, VW will launch a car it’s calling Project Trinity, which is designed to bring in autonomous driving as well as lay the foundation for much wider connectivity between cars on the road.

While all this is going on, VW has also outlined that there will be updated versions of existing models including the Golf, Tiguan, Passat, Tayron and T-ROC. It’s going to be a busy few years for VW.