The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Driving against traffic, attempted murder

    Driving against traffic is a common practice on Nigeria roads. This practice is prevalent in all the states and the Federal Capital Territory particularly the cities with heavy traffic flow. It has caused many vehicular crashes while a lot of innocent pedestrians have either been maimed or killed outrightly. It is, however, disheartening that many government officials, security agencies, traffic agencies and some highly placed Nigerians regularly commit this heinous traffic offence.

    Research revealed that people who drive against the traffic do so because they want to avoid being held up in traffic, take a short cut, bypass a longer route or rushing to meet up an appointment which is one of the effects of inadequate journey planning. No matter the reason, driving against traffic is a criminal offence which I want the government (Federal and State) to categorise as same with attempted murder.

    Overtime, the approved legal flow of traffic is usually registered in the subconscious of road users and the fact that a vehicle, tricycle or motorcycle can drive or ride against the traffic doesn’t register in their minds quickly. Hence the high number of innocent road users falling prey of the criminals driving against traffic. They are normally referred to as mad drivers or mad riders as the case may be. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and some state governments have prescribed psychiatric test for culprits of this evil practice.

    I hereby implore Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of government at the Federal and state levels to further criminalise this offence by tagging it as attempted murder and the same judgement meted to the culprits. In addition,the relevant traffic management agencies should significantly improve their monitoring and enforcement mechanisms without compromise. These when done, will eliminate the crashes, injuries and deaths caused by driving against traffic.

  • Massilia chief to stakeholders: expect more from us

    The Deputy Managing Director of Massilia Motors, sole distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Jaiyesimi, has told the stakeholders in the auto industry to expect more innovation from the firm.

    Massilia Motors won the Most Innovative Automotive Brand in 2018 and the Most Outstanding SUV Design for the recently launched Eclipse Cross model. The Mitsubishi L200 was also amongst the nominees for the Best Pick-Up of the Year.

    This did not come as a surprise to many industry watchers as Massilia Motors has in recent times, been very innovative in its marketing push and has given a new look to its car showrooms . The company has also invested in its aftersales facility in Ijora and ensuring continuous quality improvement.

    With the introduction of models such as the Pajero Sport and the Eclipse Cross, Massilia Motors offers customers sophisticated vehicles that are good value for money.

    The brands new approach was seen during the unconventional launch of the Eclipse Cross at the Heineken Lagos Fashion Week where a virtual reality booth was set up for visitor to tour the vehicle through VR glasses. The company also collaborated with fashion designer Sisiano to create the ‘’Eclipse collection’’ inspired by the compact SUV.

    Earlier this year, Massilia Motors celebrated the centenary anniversary of Mitsubishi Motors as part of its repositioning strategies. The event tagged: Heritage Week was an opportunity to showcase achievements of the Japanese car manufacturer.

    After receiving the awards, Jaiyesimi said: ‘’We are delighted with the recognition. We will continue striving to find new ways to add value to our customers.’’

    Aside the Pajero Sport and Eclipse Cross, other models distributed by Massilia Motors include the ASX, Outlander, Pajero SUV and the L200 robust Pickup.

  • Kia to unveil new in-car tech

    Kia Motors will preview a range of new technologies developed for the post-autonomous driving era at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month.

    Kia’s interactive ‘Space of Emotive Driving’ exhibit looks to a future when autonomous driving is the norm and priority is given to improving the human mobility experience. Central to this concept is Kia’s new Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving (READ) System – a world’s first technology developed based on a joint research collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab’s Affective Computing group.

    READ System can optimise and personalise a vehicle cabin space by analysing a driver’s emotional state in real-time through artificial intelligence-based bio-signal recognition technology. The technology monitors a driver’s emotional state and tailors the interior environment according to its assessment – potentially altering conditions relating to the human senses within the cabin, creating a more joyful mobility experience.

    Kia Motors President and Head of Research and Development Division Mr Albert Biermann, said: “We have developed READ System to create an interactive future mobility in-cabin space by converging cutting edge vehicle control technology and AI-based emotional intelligence. Consequently, READ System will enable continuous communication between drivers and vehicles through the unspoken language of ‘emotional feeling’, thereby providing an optimised human senses-oriented space for drivers in real-time.”

    Kia’s CES exhibit will also feature several other advanced in-car and mobility technologies focused on the brand’s ‘emotive driving’ concept, with more details set to be announced in the build-up to the 2019 event. For an enhanced visitor experience, Kia will operate 15-minute ‘Docent Tours’ at regular intervals at the booth throughout the duration of CES 2019. The tours will give attendees a more in-depth understanding of the new technologies on display.

    CES 2019 will start on January 8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in the United States.

  • Driving against traffic, attempted murder

    Driving against traffic is a common practice on Nigeria roads. This practice is prevalent in all the states and the Federal Capital Territory particularly the cities with heavy traffic flow. It has caused many vehicular crashes while a lot of innocent pedestrians have either been maimed or killed outrightly. It is, however, disheartening that many government officials, security agencies, traffic agencies and some highly placed Nigerians regularly commit this heinous traffic offence.

    Research revealed that people who drive against the traffic do so because they want to avoid being held up in traffic, take a short cut, bypass a longer route or rushing to meet up an appointment which is one of the effects of inadequate journey planning. No matter the reason, driving against traffic is a criminal offence which I want the government (Federal and State) to categorise as same with attempted murder.

    Overtime, the approved legal flow of traffic is usually registered in the subconscious of road users and the fact that a vehicle, tricycle or motorcycle can drive or ride against the traffic doesn’t register in their minds quickly. Hence the high number of innocent road users falling prey of the criminals driving against traffic. They are normally referred to as mad drivers or mad riders as the case may be. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and some state governments have prescribed psychiatric test for culprits of this evil practice.

    I hereby implore Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of government at the Federal and state levels to further criminalise this offence by tagging it as attempted murder and the same judgement meted to the culprits. In addition,the relevant traffic management agencies should significantly improve their monitoring and enforcement mechanisms without compromise. These when done, will eliminate the crashes, injuries and deaths caused by driving against traffic.

  • Porsche recalls 74,585 Panamera sedans

    Porsche said it is recalling 74,585 Panamera sedans worldwide, about 19,200 of which are in the United States and Canada.The effort is to fix a software problem that could cause the electric power steering system to be unavailable for short periods.

    The recall covers current-generation Panameras made between March 6, 2016, and December 6, 2018.

    “If this happens, increased force is then required for steering. To avoid this, the associated control unit needs to be reprogrammed with an updated data record as a precautionary measure,” Porsche said in a statement on Thursday.

    A spokesman said Porsche will notify owners in writing and that customers can continue to use their vehicles.

    However, he said owners of affected vehicles should visit a Porsche dealer as soon as possible so that the control unit for electric power steering can be reprogrammed for free. The automaker has not received any reports of personal injury nor is it aware of any accidents linked to the software defect, the spokesman said.

    In June, Porsche announced a recall and stop-sale order in the U.S. for 715 Panameras because “there is a possibility that connecting links for the rear-axle anti-roll bar were installed that do not meet Porsche quality standards.”

    In November, Porsche Cars North America reported U.S. sales of 5,673 vehicles, a 2.1 percent increase from the year-earlier month. Through November, Porsche’s U.S. sales climbed 3.1 percent from a year earlier to 53,116. Strong demand for the Macan, the new-generation Cayenne and the Panamera helped improve November sales.

    A Porsche spokesman did not immediately respond when asked if any injuries or accidents are linked to the software defect.

  • Hyundai Creta, Camry, others get awards

    It was a harvest of awards by leading auto brands, tyre, lubricants marketers in the country as the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA)  recently presented different categories of awards to deserving winners at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The award night, which had the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Aliyu Jelani and the representative of the Corp Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) as special guests, was well attended by many chief executives and other stakeholders in the nation’s automotive sector.

    In the award categories for 2018, Hyundai Creta won the Car of The Year (COTY) award beating Toyota Corolla and GAC GA3.

    In the Luxury Car of The Year, Mercedes Benz S-class emerged winner ahead of BMW 7-series while the Luxury SUV of the Year award went to Range Rover Autobiography.

    Toyota Hilux and Toyota Hiace clinched the Pick-up of the Year award and Mini Bus of the Year awards respectively.

    Indigenous Lubricant of the year went to Lubcon, just as Ceat smiled home with the Tyre brand of the year.   Miking won Best New Entrant Lubricant.

    Also Massilia was named as the Most Innovative Auto Company (Mitsubishi) while Mitsubishi Fuso Cantre grabbed the Light Duty Truck of the year award and JAC T6 won Auto Value for money. AIICO won the Auto Insurance Company of the year, among others.

    While the Yutong bus won the High Capacity Commercial Passenger Bus of the year, the JAC truck won the Heavy Duty Truck of the year. Both are assembled in Nigeria by Kojo Motors and Lanre Shittu Motors respectively.

    Other winners are Mandilas winning Workshop of The Year; PAN  with Auto Assembly Plant of the Year, Primero Transport Services Limited honoured with Road Transport Operator of The Year and Castrol (Eterna Oil Plc) Outstanding Lubricant of The Year.

    Also, Outstanding Design of the Year (Small Sedan) went to GAC GA3; Outstanding Design of the Year (Big Sedan) was won by Toyota Camry; and Outstanding Design of the Year (SUV) went to Mitsubishi Eclipse.

    In his response, Stallion Motors Nigeria Limited (HMNL) Managing Director Parvir Singh thanked the organisers for putting up the award and for finding the Hyundai Creta worthy for the COTY award.

    He promised that the company will continue to uphold the integrity which the company has been known for, while contributing positively to the Nigeria Auto industry.

    Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) Corporate Affairs Manager Mrs Bukola Ogunnusi expressed appreciation for the myriad of awards given to TNL for 2018.

    NAJA Chairman Mike Ochonma, said NAJA award is the most prestigious and only recognised auto award in the country.

    The winners were arrived at after an exhaustive, but objective evaluation of competitors in each of the categories through votes.

    Chairman Organising Committee Moses Ebosele, said the annual event always provides an opportunity for all stakeholders in the sector to come together to celebrate and exchange ideas especially in the areas of manufacturing, efficiency, innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

  • Hyundai Creta, S-Class, Camry, others win Awards

    It was a harvest of awards by leading auto brands, tyre, lubricants marketers in the country as the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA)  recently presented different categories of awards to deserving winners at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The award night, which had the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Aliyu Jelani and the representative of the Corp Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) as special guests, was well attended by many chief executives and other stakeholders in the nation’s automotive sector.

    In the award categories for 2018, Hyundai Creta won the Car of The Year (COTY) Award beating Toyota Corolla and GAC GA3.

    In the Luxury Car of The Year, Mercedes Benz S-class emerged winner ahead of BMW 7-series while the Luxury SUV of the Year award went to Range rover Autobiography.

    Toyota Hilux and Toyota Hiace clinched the Pick-up of the Year award and Mini Bus of the Year awards respectively.

    Indigenous Lubricant of the year went to Lubcon, just as Ceat smiled home with the Tyre brand of the year.   Miking won Best New Entrant Lubricant.

    Also Massilia was named as the Most Innovative Auto Company (Mitsubishi) while Mitsubishi Fuso Canter grabbed the Light Duty Truck of the year award and JAC T6 won Auto Value for money.  AIICO won the Auto Insurance Company of the year, among others.

    While the Yutong bus won the High Capacity Commercial Passenger Bus of the year, the JAC truck won the Heavy Duty Truck of the year. Both are assembled in Nigeria by Kojo Motors and Lanre Shittu Motors respectively.

    Other winners are Mandilas – Workshop of The Year; PAN – Auto Assembly Plant of the Year, Primero Transport Services Limited – Road Transport Operator of The Year and Castrol (Eterna Oil Plc) Outstanding Lubricant of The Year.

    Also, Outstanding Design of the Year (Small Sedan) went to GAC GA3; Outstanding Design of the Year (Big Sedan) was won by Toyota Camry; and Outstanding Design of the Year (SUV) went to Mitsubishi Eclipse.

    In his response, Stallion Motors Nigeria Limited (HMNL) Managing Director Parvir Singh thanked the organisers for putting up the award and for finding the Hyundai Creta worthy for the COTY award.

    He promised that the company will continue to uphold the integrity which the company has been known for, while contributing positively for the Nigeria Auto industry.

    Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) Corporate Affairs Manager Mrs Bukola Ogunnusi expressed appreciation for the myriad of awards given to TNL for 2018.

    NAJA Chairman Mike Ochonma, said NAJA award is the most prestigious and only recognised auto award in the country.

    The winners were arrived at after an exhaustive, but objective evaluation of competitors in each of the categories through votes.

    Chairman Organising Committee Moses Ebosele, said the annual event always provides an opportunity for all stakeholders in the sector to come together to celebrate and exchange ideas especially in the areas of manufacturing, efficiency, innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

  • Kia to unveil new in-car tech

    Kia Motors will preview a range of new technologies developed for the post-autonomous driving era at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month.

    Kia’s interactive ‘Space of Emotive Driving’ exhibit looks to a future when autonomous driving is the norm and priority is given to improving the human mobility experience. Central to this concept is Kia’s new Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving (READ) System – a world’s first technology developed based on a joint research collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab’s Affective Computing group.

    READ System can optimise and personalise a vehicle cabin space by analysing a driver’s emotional state in real-time through artificial intelligence-based bio-signal recognition technology. The technology monitors a driver’s emotional state and tailors the interior environment according to its assessment – potentially altering conditions relating to the human senses within the cabin, creating a more joyful mobility experience.

    Kia Motors President and Head of Research and Development Division Mr Albert Biermann, said: “We have developed READ System to create an interactive future mobility in-cabin space by converging cutting edge vehicle control technology and AI-based emotional intelligence. Consequently, READ System will enable continuous communication between drivers and vehicles through the unspoken language of ‘emotional feeling’, thereby providing an optimised human senses-oriented space for drivers in real-time.”

    Kia’s CES exhibit will also feature several other advanced in-car and mobility technologies focused on the brand’s ‘emotive driving’ concept, with more details set to be announced in the build-up to the 2019 event. For an enhanced visitor experience, Kia will operate 15-minute ‘Docent Tours’ at regular intervals at the booth throughout the duration of CES 2019. The tours will give attendees a more in-depth understanding of the new technologies on display.

    CES 2019 will start on January 8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in the United States.

  • Porsche recalls 74,585 Panamera sedans

    Porsche said it is recalling 74,585 Panamera sedans worldwide, about 19,200 of which are in the United States and Canada, to fix a software problem that could cause the electric power steering system to be unavailable for short periods.

    The recall covers current-generation Panameras made between March 6, 2016, and December 6, 2018.

    “If this happens, increased force is then required for steering. To avoid this, the associated control unit needs to be reprogrammed with an updated data record as a precautionary measure,” Porsche said in a statement on Thursday.

    A spokesman said Porsche will notify owners in writing and that customers can continue to use their vehicles.

    However, he said owners of affected vehicles should visit a Porsche Dealer as soon as possible so that the control unit for electric power steering can be reprogrammed for free. The automaker has not received any reports of personal injury nor is it aware of any accidents linked to the software defect, the spokesman said.

    In June, Porsche announced a recall and stop-sale order in the U.S. for 715 Panameras because “there is a possibility that connecting links for the rear-axle anti-roll bar were installed that do not meet Porsche quality standards.”

    In November, Porsche Cars North America reported U.S. sales of 5,673 vehicles, a 2.1 percent increase from the year-earlier month. Through November, Porsche’s U.S. sales climbed 3.1 percent from a year earlier to 53,116. Strong demand for the Macan, the new-generation Cayenne and the Panamera helped improve November sales.

    A Porsche spokesman did not immediately respond when asked if any injuries or accidents are linked to the software defect.

  • Massilia chief to stakeholders: expect more from us

    The Deputy Managing Director of Massilia Motors, sole distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Jaiyesimi has told the stakeholders in the auto industry to expect more innovation from the firm.

    Massilia Motors won the Most Innovative Automotive Brand in 2018 and the Most Outstanding SUV Design for the recently launched Eclipse Cross model. The Mitsubishi L200 was also amongst the nominees for the Best Pick-Up of the Year.

    This did not come as a surprise to many industry watchers as Massilia Motors has in recent times, been very innovative in its marketing push and has given a new look to its car showrooms . The company has also invested in its aftersales facility in Ijora and ensuring continuous quality improvement.

    With the introduction of models such as the Pajero Sport and the Eclipse Cross, Massilia Motors offers customers sophisticated vehicles that are good value for money.

    The brands new approach was seen during the unconventional launch of the Eclipse Cross at the Heineken Lagos Fashion Week where a virtual reality booth was set up for visitor to tour the vehicle through VR glasses. The company also collaborated with fashion designer Sisiano to create the ‘’Eclipse collection’’ inspired by the compact SUV.

    Earlier this year, Massilia Motors celebrated the centenary anniversary of Mitsubishi Motors as part of its repositioning strategies. The event tagged “Heritage Week” was an opportunity to showcase achievements of the Japanese car manufacturer.

    After receiving the awards, Jaiyesimi said: ‘’We are delighted with the recognition. We will continue striving to find new ways to add value to our customers.’’

    Aside the Pajero Sport and Eclipse Cross, other models distributed by Massilia Motors include the ASX, Outlander, Pajero SUV and the L200 robust Pickup.