Category: Motoring

Tajudeen Adebanjo

OF the 12 million registered vehicles in the country, only 2.5 million have genuine insurance cover, Cornestone Insurance has said.

Its Ikeja Branch Manager Pelumi Akindumusire, stated this during a sensitisation by the firm in Lagos.
He said the firm was educating commercial drivers on the need to get third party insurance policy as well as expose its benefits to them.
The insurance firm’s officials visited garages to sensitise the drivers.
Akindumusire said it was not as if those motorists do not possess insurance certificates, but that, the policy they have is fake and that is why the industry has looked for a way to use the Nigeria Insurance Industry Database (NIID) to address the challenge.
He added that the industry also partners the men of the Vehicle Inspection Services (VIS) and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to monitor fake insurance policy holders.
“On the NIID platform, when a motorist input his policy number or the vehicle’s registration number on the app, it will bring out the insurance details of the vehicle, this signifies that, the policy is genuine and if it did not appear, it will say record not found implying that the policy is a fake one,” he said.
Cornerstone, he said, has taken further steps to educate public drivers on the need for genuine motor insurance cover starting with third party motor insurance policy for commercial drivers.

Read Also: Traffic law enforcement model for state govts, FCT

He said: “In view of this, a team from the Cornerstone Insurance Plc will be going to the motor garages in Lagos to sensitise the drivers on the need for insurance cover with the aim of selling the third party cover to them eventually.

‘’My team and I intend to cover majority of the garages in Lagos state to sensitise the motorists on the need for insurance because of its numerous benefits. Many of them do not know the importance, but just see it as ‘Police let me pass’ whereas there are many benefits attached to it. We have already done a pilot job on this. We want to do this on a monthly or at least quarterly basis; visiting different garages each month – Ojota, Surulere, Ikeja, Ogba and other garages in Lagos.’’

Cornerstone Insurance is also planning to engage the tricycle riders, popularly called Keke Napep to sell a personal accident policy to the riders only.
The insurance firm has held meetings with officials of the riders from the local government level in the Ogba/Ikeja axis and will be meeting soon with the state officials for final approval.
‘’We may extend to cover their third party liability in future but what we are concentrating on is their personal accident liabilities. For example, if they are riding the tricycle and they have an accident and sustain injury, Cornerstone will pay for the medical expenses, permanent disability and even death on an agreed sum insured with an affordable premium,” he said.

Tajudeen Adebanjo

Kia Motors has revealed its new Futuron Concept, an illuminating all-wheel drive Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) coupe, which proposes new designs for future electric vehicles.

Revealed for the first time in Shanghai, the Futuron incorporates Chinese legend in the design and form of its new Star Cloud lighting. The Dragon Skin surface which covers the lighting area emulates the scaled armor that adorns Chinese dragons, both in mythology and modern-day cultural celebrations. The Star Cloud lighting incorporates a kinetic surface, enabling the car to alternate between daytime running lights and full-beam headlamps as the scales open and close.

The Futuron Concept represents the modern and confident image of a progressive electric SUV coupe envisioned by Kia. The Futuron name itself is a portmanteau of ‘future’ and ‘on’, hinting at the switched-on, electric nature of future SUV designs from the brand.

With a design based around the notion of dynamic purity, the Futuron Concept merges elegant proportions with pure shapes and surfaces. Its lightweight SUV coupe body incorporates a fully-electric all-wheel drive powertrain, wrapped in bold yet modern exterior surfaces, and with a flexible, high-tech interior.

The Futuron makes its public debut at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. It was displayed to the public.

The car is built around a strong ‘360-degree’ design notable for its pure, smooth form devoid of ornament. The delicate diffusion of the body’s surfaces creates a series of taut, flowing shapes which twist, expand and contract around the body. The result is a sleek and streamlined shape, creating an aero-efficient profile.

The novel proportions of the car are immediately striking. Its low-profile SUV coupe body makes a strong statement of intent for Kia’s future cars, which will be confident, sporty and modern, yet also elegant. At 4,850 mm in length, 1,550 mm tall and with a 3,000 mm-long wheelbase, the Futuron’s elevated ground clearance is matched with a low, lean body to create a dynamic, confident posture.

The Futuron’s fully-electric powertrain makes this shape possible. A high-capacity battery is mounted low in the vehicle’s body, beneath the cabin floor, providing electrical energy to four powerful in-wheel electric motors. The elevated stance of the car is therefore matched with a low center of gravity and a cutting-edge e-AWD system which delivers lightning-fast responses to driver inputs.

A sports car on an SUV platform, combined with comfortable, lean-back seats, Futuron offers users a new type of interactive driving experience suitable for urban city environments. Various elements of the vehicle’s structure and design foster the important connection and interaction between car and driver.

The front fender flows backwards from the front of the hood before plunging into the cabin itself, establishing a connection between the driving seat and the road ahead. The concept’s roof is a diamond-shaped panoramic glasshouse which sits atop the 360-degree core, in the best traditions of UFO and flying saucer design. While flooding the cabin with natural light, it also extends down the bonnet to give drivers an unparalleled view ahead. The glasshouse also incorporates a network of LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors capable of providing Level 4 autonomous driving features, enabling hands-off and eyes-off driving in most conditions.

A playful and interactive new feature, this lighting responds to physical gestures and movements made outside the car, eliciting a close connection between vehicle and driver before they even set foot in the cabin.

The front of the Futuron features a new reinterpretation of Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille, a signature for Kia design now for over a decade. While maintaining the basic principle of the design – a clear outline with tabs in the middle – Kia’s designers have expanded the boundaries, widening the shape across the front of the car to create a restrained, yet elegant ‘tiger face’.

With a wider ‘tiger face’ shape, the grille incorporates the Futuron’s headlamps, an innovative ‘Star Cloud’ design which gives the car a dazzling new night-time identity. The concept’s Star Cloud lighting not only highlights a new design form for the front of the car, but also embodies a new lighting concept for Kia, taking inspiration from nebulae in the night sky to create a geometric patchwork of matrix LED lighting. The Star Cloud is also incorporated into the rear of the car, displaying a distinct light signature to anyone following the Futuron.

 Tajudeen Adebanjo

Coscharis Motors Plc, a leading automobile dealership and exclusive dealer of Ford in Nigeria, has launched the new Ford Edge at the ongoing 20th Abuja International Motor Fair.

Coscharis Group General Manager Marketing and Corporate Communications Abiona Babarinde, said: “Ford has continued to thrill the world with enhanced new products born out of deep rooted research into the desires of automobile consumers around the globe. We, at Coscharis, will always see to it that our market never misses the opportunity to get its fair share of such highly innovative products.”

Abiona described the new 2019 Ford Edge as “an upscale sport utility vehicle (SUV) defined by modern sophistication,” adding: “With this launch, Coscharis has once again enlarged the coast for Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and increased the options for our customers to choose from a wide range of Ford SUVs, including Expedition, Explorer, Escape, EcoSport and now, the new Edge.”

The Edge boost of an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard Auto-Start/Stop technology reduces fuel consumption during stop-and-go city driving. This drive enhancement features in both of the EcoBoost engines are available in the latest Edge.

The Edge comes with a suite of five standard features – Rear-View Camera with Washer; Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert; Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking; Lane-Keeping System and Auto High-Beam Headlamps that helps the moment drivers begin backing out of the driveway

The Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go and Lane Centering can bring the vehicle to a complete stop when traffic slows and can accelerate back to its preset speed within three seconds. Lane Centering reads the lane markings to help keep the Edge in its lane.

Evasive Steering Assist, also part of the package helps avoid a collision with a stopped the vehicle ahead by providing steering support when a collision can’t be avoided by braking alone.

A vibrant 8” touchscreen is the command center of the voice-activated technology, which integrates paired a mobile phone with the Edge as soon the vehicle starts. A driver can make calls, send and receive text messages and so much more. Just swipe left or right, or use simple voice commands.The SYNC®3 also feature two smart-charging USB ports to keep the devices powered up.

From the Intelligent Access key fob to the push-button start, the Edge interior has it all.

With its rear 60:40 split seats folded flat, the Edge can be converted to a cargo hauler with ease. A convenient EasyFold seat release for the rear seat lets users maximise the cargo space with the touch of a button.

Jide Owatunmise

Driving is among the most complex and dynamic tasks globally. It involves the coordination of several organs of the body in a changing environment to ensure effective and safe vehicle control.

In the developed and some developed countries, every Driver Licence applicant or would be driver must have passed compulsory computer-based theory test. Those who pass the the test will then proceed for the practical test before being issued the Driver Licence.

This is because such countries clearly understood early enough that driving is not for illiterates because of its complexity and the dynamics of vehicle technology and the road traffic regulations. That’s why such countries have been recording low rates of road traffic crashes and deaths till date. In those countries, people celebrate when they pass the pre – licence theory and practical tests.

In the 50s-90s in Nigeria, illiterate drivers were coping well with the task of driving because the road networks, vehicle technology, traffic regulations and health issues were not as complex and dynamic as they are today. Weave lanes, multiple – lane roads, traffic signs written in words and symbols, computerised vehicles with multiple on – board facilities, in – car and outside distractive objects as well as other road users are on the increase, thereby increasing the complexity of today’s driving far beyond the ability of stark illiterates who cannot read and write.

In Nigeria, we are accustomed to risk taking and dangerous compromise. We have millions of holders of Driver Licence who do not know  10 percent of the traffic signs and road markings; who cannot read traffic signs on the roads; who cannot read the symbols on the vehicle dashboard; who do not know the road traffic regulations; who have no copy of the Highway Code not to talk of knowing the contents; who do not know vehicle dynamics; and who do not know his responsibilities and limitations on the roads.

The list of the deficiencies of most of the licensed and unlicensed drivers is endless. Yet, these vehicle movers who called themselves drivers are dangerously operating on the roads manifesting their ignorance in the form of unsafe speed, dangerous overtaking, aggressive driving, disregard for the rights of other road users, drug addiction and other violations.

The government has been  worried about the high rate of road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths without taking workable proactive measures to reduce the carnage on the roads. There is an urgent need to enforce the training and final assessment tests by driving schools for learner drivers before the issuance of certificates for the processing of Driver Licence.

The Vehicle Inspection Officers(VIOs) must be well funded to conduct theory and practical tests for all Driver Licence applicants without any form of compromise.

Consequent upon the aforementioned, there should be no more Driver Licence for illiterates who do not have at least elementary knowledge of computer as it obtains in countries with low rates of road traffic crashes.

Life is very precious and we must put away sentiments. The Constitution provided that Nigerians should possess basic education. This is the reason basic education is free. Anyone who has no basic education  should go for other less complex menial jobs and stop constituting  safety risks on the roads as a driver.

Life is precious and irreplaceable. Nothing is too much for the government and its agencies as well as other Nigerians to prevent loss of lives and valuable properties from being wasted on the roads.

 Tajudeen Adebanjo

THE Automobile Association have faulted the National Valuation Database for Imported Motor Vehicles (NDIMV) (2014-2019) introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The dealers, in a statement by the association’s Secretary, Moshood Ademola, said the duty was fraudulent.

According to them, Customs was trying to fix prices for products it does not own and unilaterally hiking the prices through the NDIMV. They questioned the wisdom in the agency setting prices in contravention of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) guidelines, which provide that prices should be based on Free on Board (FOB) as stipulated by the manufacturer.

Customs, they said, should cross-check from the manufacturers if they were in doubt.

The dealers said prices of vehicles in the Customs’ database are more than what the manufacturers sell to importers.

The dealers said: “For instance, the price of a 30-seater Toyota Coaster bus in the Customs’ NVDIMV document was listed as $100,601.24 whereas Toyota stipulated a FoB price of $36, 763 while a Prado  4WD with manufacturer FoB of between $27,999 and $39,013 has listed FoB price of  between $51,988 and $57,579.06,” the dealers said.

The closure of their places of business, they said, had led to loss of income.

“The vehicles in our shops were all imported through the nation’s seaports with appropriate duties paid at the time of import and we wondered which other duties Customs was looking for.

“Customs Services should concentrate on stopping smugglers in their tracks instead of going after law-abiding car dealers, who are contributing to economic development by generating employment. We are not into smuggling. We challenge them to impound smuggled vehicles and prosecute their smugglers.”

The group claimed that the cordial relationship between the dealers and Customs went sour when NCS said it had revoked the price list of imported vehicles, including Ford, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, etc and replaced it with its own list of automobiles contained in its “NDIMV (2014-2019)”.

They said NCS had via a letter dated July 5, last year conveyed approval for the FoB prices of all vehicles sold.

But last March, vehicle importers forwarded the FoB prices for the year to NCS to approve and update its record. But it turned around to revoke it.

They described the Customs’ valuation database as outrageous as it serves no other purpose than to provide cover for extortion.

“You don’t revoke a FoB for a product that is not your own;  you can only authenticate the FoB through the manufacturers; you cannot allocate FoB on someone else’s products.

“The rule is that Customs duty calculation is based on FoB prices plus freight, plus insurance and FoB is sacrosanct. It is only fixed by the manufacturers of the products and if in doubt, Customs has ways of verifying, for instance, by contacting the manufacturers or going through the embassies.The issue of valuation is strange in law, there is nothing like the national valuation database,” they said.

But a source in the Customs urged the dealers to take advantage of the Customs Dispute Resolution Mechanism to resolve the impasse.

According to him, the dealers have the right to complain if felt cheated.

“The dealers should approach the Customs authority on any particular vehicle they deem overcharged and it would be resolved. The issue is that business owners always want to pay less value for imported vehicles. They will not want to pay the accurate duties and this becomes a burden to the end-users to either pay it or continue to try to bribe their way,” he said.