Category: Motoring

As shown in this picture, a very busy road around Berger bus stop in Wuse Zone 5 area of the Federal Capital Territory is being partially blocked everyday to allow buses and cabs pick passengers. For the past three months, I took time to visit this spot each time I travelled to Abuja. As at today, I have visited the spot up to 15 times and my findings revealed the same practice. Within the vicinity, there is an office of the Abuja Environmental department and a 24 – hour police surveillance under the Berger bridge. The FCT Task force also passes this road, sometimes parks on the pedestrian walkway in this area. The FRSC vehicles also move around this area without taking any action towards the clearance of these commercial   obstacles .

I was told that the bus and cab operators that load on the blocked half of the busy road do settle some authorities to maintain the violation of the National Road Traffic Regulations as shown in this picture. Hence my reference to them as licensed violators in this article.

This singular violations has been contributing to the traffic logjam between Wuse market and Berger junction, caused confusion for Motorists taking that lane to link Mabushi –  Zuba road as well as causing problems for pedestrians. If the violators were not officially or unofficially licensed to do so, why have they remained there and perpetration the same atrocities with impunity?

This is just one out of many other places in Nigeria where dangerous obstructions are caused on the road with impunity. The campaign for safety on Nigeria roads should go beyond mere talks. More proactive actions are needed. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) should be more awake to their responsibilities on Nigerian roads. It is the statutory duty of FRSC to remove all forms of obstructions on Nigerian roads. The stones, tyres and signboards used to block one of the two lanes in this picture ought to have been removed from the roads and the violators prosecuted appropriately.

Kia Motors announced that ‘Seltos’ will be the name of its new global compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).

Due to be launched in the summer, the Kia Seltos will bring sophistication and assertiveness to the compact SUV segment.

The name of the Kia Seltos is inspired by Greek mythology and the legend of ‘Celtos’, the son of Hercules. Representing the brave and assertive spirit of Celtos, the ‘S’ in the vehicle’s adapted name implies speed and sportiness. The Seltos has been created for the millennial generation, standing apart from its rivals with a combination of sophisticated, sporty design and the space and capabilities of a traditional SUV – all in a compact package.

The Seltos offers sophisticated exterior design details, such as its long hood, a strong character line on the front bumper, and sharp lines pressed into the bodywork. Its robust shoulder line, matched with a glasshouse which tapers towards the rear of the car, as well as a rear bumper with a metallic muffler effect, lends the compact SUV an air of understated sportiness.

Aimed at youthful, tech-savvy buyers, the cabin is characterised by broad, sweeping shapes and highly technical details. Equipped with a range of technologies to maximise convenience, connectivity and ease of use, the bold design of the cabin incorporates a high-tech 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and Sound Mood Lighting.

Kia Motors is extending its range of SUVs to fulfill the needs of customers in every market, with the new model bringing many of Kia’s strengths – in design, quality and technology – to the compact SUV segment for the first time.

The Seltos will be revealed later this month, with sales in Korea and other regions to follow in the second half of the year.

MERCEDES-BENZ sold 195,690 vehicles worldwide in May. The sales success of the new A-Class and the new CLA Coupé, which was launched in Europe in May, had a positive effect last month.

In a highly competitive market environment worldwide, the new compact-car models in particular generated sales momentum in many key markets. Nonetheless, ongoing model changes in the highest-volume SUV segment had a dampening impact on total unit sales in May. Mercedes-Benz sold 938,499 units in the first five months of the year. In May, Mercedes-Benz maintained its market leadership in the premium segment in markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

“Despite a challenging market environment and ongoing model changes, Mercedes-Benz increased its unit sales in many markets in May. We are very confident that the significant sales momentum from our model offensive will be reflected in the second half of the year, particularly with the SUVs,” said Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales.

Seeger added: “The third month in a row with worldwide growth in sales of Mercedes-Benz compact cars demonstrates the strong demand for our new models. We are very pleased with the excellent feedback, especially from our younger customers, on the launch of the new CLA Coupé in Europe, on the new A-Class and on our MBUX multimedia system.”

The commercial division of Stallion Motors Nigeria has unveiled the KY5 and KY10 Light Commercial Vehicles for the local market.

The vehicles, better known as mini-trucks in the Nigerian parlance, are designed to cater for the growing demand for functional One-ton and Two-ton payload vehicles.

The introduction is in fulfillment of the local auto company’s commitment to making cargo vehicles affordable to the emerging small and medium enterprise sector.

According to the company’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Anjan Aditya, “the introduction of Stallion Motors low-priced KY5 MINI and KY10 branded cargo trucks is expected to stem the tide of incessant downtime, profit losses and accidents, resulting from the application of decrepit and unserviceable vehicles by emerging commercial ventures in the country.”

Designed and manufactured in China by Chongqing Changan Kuayue Automobile Co. Limited popularly known as KYC, the vehicles are being assembled locally at the Stallion franchise facility in Lagos.

The KY5 Mini is powered by 1.05L/47kw AfII – 05(Euro V) Petrol Engine. The single cabin is capable of producing 64bhp of power and maximum torque of 91Nm/rpm. It is also mated with a six-speed manual transmission gear system, delivering maximum efficiency and optimum performance.

It is designed tough and robust to transcend difficult terrains, with specially mounted independent front MacPherson suspension and rear Leaf Spring suspensions. This is in addition to its Pinion and Rack electric power steering, which makes turning and navigation easy.

The cargo dimension (length 2600mm, width 145mm and height 360mm) is designed to enable seamless loading from either sides of the vehicle, with a palpable wheel base of 2700mm.

To guarantee safety, it has a needful 165/70R14 (single rear tyre) tyre structure, efficient front disc brakes and rear drum brakes that responds practically to any road condition.

The clutch engages the Diaphragm Spring type – one of the best in the light commercial vehicle segment, with unprecedented 150mm minimum ground clearance.

Also a single cabin, the KY10 is designed bigger and sturdier, but fitted with larger internal cargo dimension of 3400mm, 1680mm width and 380mm height.

Its wheel base of 3400mm and gross weight is comparable to some renowned brands of 2.7L freighters, which explains why both the front and rear suspensions are fortified with Leaf Springs alignment.

It is powered by a tougher 1.5L/82kw DK15-10 (Euro V) engine, capable of churning out 112bph and maximum torque of 143Nm/rpm. The powerful engine is supported by a six-speed manual transmission gear system and have a differential gear ration of 5.375.

Unlike the KY5, the KY10 is fitted with 185R14LT (double rear tyres), with 175mm minimum ground clearance; robust front disk and rear drum brake outline and fuel consumption efficiency of d” 8.9 L/ 100km (@ speed 50km/h).

Recently, the Nigeria Police Authority announced their proposed clampdown on Tinted glass law. Tinted glass law is a global issue which however needs to be rightly addressed in Nigeria before the planned clampdown by the Police.

Without doubt, it is necessary to wage war against the tinting of car windows, particularly, black tint. It hinders the driver from having a clear view of his blind spots, covers, drivers making phone calls and shields criminals among others. However, there are many essential things the Nigeria Police has left unaddressed before talking about the clampdown.

There are different types of tinted glasses. There are factory tinted glasses and there are film tinted glasses. Tinted glasses are further distinguished by the percentage of the window tint to the visible light transmission. As at today in Nigeria, I have never seen any Police Officer or other traffic management Officers using an equipment to measure the degree of tint as it obtains in several other countries.

Many of the tinted glasses targeted by the Nigeria Police will pass international test even in developed Countries. The acceptable rate of the glass Visible Light Transmission (VLT) must be made public by the Nigeria Police before the planned clampdown. We are in the age of technology and not the dark age when measurements are done by personal judgement. Having announced the acceptable rate of VLT, the Police Officers and other traffic management Officers must be equipped with the state of the art instruments for measring the VLT which must be used on the glasses before apprehending the violators.

It is not difficult for some influential criminals and very important personalities to obtain the tint permit from the Nigeria police Authority even without seen assessing the level of tint. 100 per cent black tint is illegal anywhere all over the world. But many of such vehicles are on Nigeria roads. Visibility for safety and Security should be the guiding principle, not how influential the vehicle owner is. In my own opinion, all film tint should be disallowed on Nigeria roads. Any tint that comes from the automobile Manufacturers above  30 percent tinted and 70 per cent VLT should be disallowed except proper permit is obtained. The categories of people that can obtain such permit should be published. The background checks and security documentations of such people should be done without bias.

Concerning the security issue, whether tinted glass permit is obtained or not, Drivers approaching Police or allied check points must be made to wind down the glasses for routine security checks except well-known VIP,s with high integrity. Safety and Security, not revenue generation should be the driving force for the implementation of tinted glass law in Nigeria. Public enlightenment and technology must also be adequately employed towards the implementation of the law.

We must always do things right to avoid punishing innocent Citizens and painting the Country black among the comity of Nations. It is time to move to the next level in policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria.