The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Hyundai showcases Tucson new model

    Hyundai Tucson has returned for the 2019 model year with the “finest Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) ideals ever in the practical SUV segment,” incorporating superb mix of interior refinement, ride comfort, astonishing reliability, fuel economy and advanced safety features.

    Recently remodelled with gorgeous niceties, the Tucson is Hyundai’s icing on the cake, and could prompt a gawk, among competitive SUV marques.

    Notable contenders in the practical SUV market slice are the Honda CRV, Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Tiguan, Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Equinox.

    Hyundai, however, claims its new Tucson offers more equipment with attractive trim levels, each delivering unprecedented apparatus for their respective points.

    The SE trim level for instance (the only available model in Nigeria) is equipped with 164hp (Horsepower), two-litre four cylinder engine with a front-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission.

    Tucson’s swanky dimension also offers more three inches length; 1.1-inch width and 1.2-inch-longer-wheelbase to reaffirm the vehicle’s practicality.

    The result, of course, is a spacious and refined interior; passenger-friendly cabin especially for the rear occupants and a 60/40 split rear seat, providing ample thigh support and plenty of legroom even for a six-footer up front.

    Tucson’s cargo area has also been widened for easier loading and offloading with added bonus on the floor (that can be lowered by two inches) to accommodate more shipment.

    Couple with these significant improvements is Tucson’s steering and suspension, providing a robust suspension component, upgraded dampers and new hydraulic-type bump stops.

    Drivers of the new Tucson would, no doubt, appreciate Hyundai’s Flex Steer System available on the model for the first time and a remarkably distinctive Standard Drive Mode Select System that alters steering effort, transmission shift programming and throttle response in variance with the three settings – Normal, Eco and Sport.

    These driving modes allow the driver to vary the level of steering support and feedback to best suit the environment – a feature only typical on luxury cars, but Tucson has become the only vehicle in the practical SUV segment to offer it.

    When the all-wheel drive is engaged, an Active Control System not only sends power reward while turning, but applies the inside rear brakes to reduce the vehicle’s tendency to push wide through turns.

    Other additions include a bi-function projection type headlight and LED positioning lamps for improved visibility along with LED rear lamps and newly designed 7.0J x 18″ Alloy wheels and a full-size spare tyre.

    The Tucson’s interior also benefited from a number of enhancements, conveniently seating five with an attractive cabin and spacious seating rows.

    The front seats, for instance, are supple and offer generous support for longer trips. There’s also ample head and legroom at the rear for two adults to fit comfortably.

    Fabric upholstery is standard while leather, heated, and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, which are also available are optional.

    It is hard to fault the Tucson’s cabin from a functional standpoint. The interior is well-insulated and remains quiet on the highway.

    There are however ample storage bins up front, and the center armrest bin and smartphone holder are usefully large.

    Hyundai continues to design and place its controls very well. The five-inch touchscreen audio interface and layout for instance is refreshingly attractive, with easily pressed virtual buttons, sharing space with song data from the radio or media player.

    There is also a standard rearview camera on all trims with rear cross-traffic alerts that makes navigation a snap thus removing guesswork out of backing into a tight spot.

     

  • Russia’s Aurus vehicles for Europe market

    Europe is likely to become the first export market for Russia’s Aurus cars and first pre-orders have already been received, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian car producer Franz Gerhard Hilget has said.

    “We have foreign pre-orders,” Hilgert said but did not elaborate.

    According to him, the car maker is now trying to complete certification in Europe so it is very likely that the first exports of Aurus cars will be to European countries.

    “First step is to get the European type of approval because the European approval is accepted in many countries by 80 per cent,” he said.

    In order to promote Aurus cars abroad, the Russian carmaker plans to cooperate with distributors in those countries, Hilgert said. He added that for the moment he cannot name any specific companies.

    “We have candidates,” he said.

    Hilgert also said his company has an investor from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).

    “That is the territory where we will definitely be developing. We signed a memorandum (with Tawazun’s Defense, Security and Development Fund – TASS) and we plan to close the deal before the end of the year,” he said.

    In July, Russian Industry Minister Denis Manturov said Tawazun Company from the United Arab Emirates is going to invest into production of Aurus cars.

    He said Tawazun’s Defense, Security and Development Fund (DSDF) will join the joint venture for Aurus cars as a partner and will invest up to 110 million euro into it. Investments will be made for development and production of luxury cars under the new Aurus brand and the line of modern protected vehicles. The parties intend to jointly develop series production, distribution and after-sales servicing of Aurus cars. Tawazun will have about 30 per cent in the Aurus car project. 60 per cent will remain with Russia’s NAMI and Sollers will hold about five per cent.

    Aurus is a Russian brand of cars for senior officials. The name combines the two words Aurus: “aurum” (a Latin word for “gold”) and “Russia.”

    The car was designed as part of the Kortezh project, which has been implemented by NAMI (Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute) in Moscow, Russia, since 2013.

     

  • Drivers, employers and truck rollovers

    The memory of the rollover of a fuel tanker at Shagamu, which resulted in the razing of several cars and the roasting of about 60 people has not faded away.

    Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who witnessed the mass burial of the victims when he was the Ogun State Governor, will also not forget the gory scene so quickly.

    The lines of vehicles burnt and the innocent people roasted on the Otedola bridge very recently is still worrisome.These are just a tip of the iceberg. The investigators at one time or the other came up with reports blaming the drivers and the incident on the condition of the vehicle. The fact remains that the converted vehicle has made several trips successfully, but just one thing happened that day which resulted to the accident. This one thing has been missing serially in all the past investigations and reports on accidents I have read.

    This singular cause of the rollovers is the reason for this article and I want the drivers, employers of drivers and the relevant government agencies to take good note of it for necessary actions. The cause is that the drivers were not deeply taught the forces that operate on a vehicle when in motion.This is called Vehicle Dynamics.

    The Sagamu incident occurred when the tanker driver attempted to swerve around a pothole and the Otedola bridge incident happened when the driver swerved to avoid colliding with a bus that pulled out without checking the upcoming traffic behind. In both cases, the lack of knowledge of the drivers on how the law of Centrifugal Force operates on a vehicle when it is steered(swerve). When a vehicle swerves to the right, there will be a load or weight shift to the left and vice versa. The more the load and turn or the steering during the maneuvering, the faster the driver will lose control and the eventual rollover. This is where the condition of the vehicle’s suspension system and tyres also come to play.

    Until drivers are released for intensive training in the above-mentioned and several other forces in vehicle dynamics, they will continue to exhibit their blind driving.

    No matter the level of traffic law enforcement and prosecution of the truck owners, such rollover and allied accidents will continue to occur on our roads as we have been witnessing after the Otedola bridge incident. This is because the drivers cannot drive beyond their knowledge and skills.They need to be appropriately sharpened with the right type and depth of training, particularly in vehicle dynamics and personal energy level management.

     

  • Land Rover introduces Care plan

    Jaguar Land Rover sub-Sahara Africa has implemented a new Care plan.

    The plan includes a comprehensive five-year, 100 000km service plan with all new  Model Year Jaguar and Land Rover models.

    The Care plan, the auto giant said, is in keeping with its ethos of putting customers first.

    The new Jaguar Land Rover Care Plan enables customers to enjoy an even more effortless and convenient experience when having their vehicles serviced at Jaguar Land Rover retailers across sub-Sahara Africa.

    All service costs for regular maintenance, including parts and labour, are covered by the Care Plan. Services will be carried out at state-of-the-art workshop facilities, that use only genuine parts.  All work is performed by world-class technicians who have undergone extensive training by Jaguar Land Rover.

    The Jaguar Land Rover Care Plan joins the Jaguar Land Rover five-year, 150 000km Warranty that has been included with every vehicle sold since April 2015.

    The comprehensive warranty covers vehicles for any unforeseen failures of mechanical or electrical components. With Jaguar Land Rover Care, owners now have the ultimate in peace of mind.

     

  • 2019 Hyundai Elantra facelift revealed

    Hyundai has revealed the 2019 Elantra facelift in the United States (US). The refreshed version of the sixth-gen model will go on sale in the US later this year and is likely to be launched in India in next year.

    The sixth-gen Elantra made its debut in South Korea in late 2015 as the Avante. It was followed by its world premiere in the US in early 2016.

    The updated 2019 Hyundai Elantra gets dramatic styling changes, to say the least. In fact, it won’t be an understatement if we say that in terms of design, it looks more like a complete generation change than a facelift or a cosmetic update. The entire front section has been redesigned and nothing seems to have been carried over.

    The pointed and triangular headlamps now pierce into Hyundai’s latest iteration of the ever evolving cascading grille. The new headlamps offer quad-LED projectors along with LED daytime running lamps. Meanwhile, the projector fog lamps of the pre-facelift model have made way for regular multi-reflector lamps.

    The rear has also been redesigned and it gets a new boot lid, tail lamps and bumper. A big ‘Elantra’ moniker takes most of the real estate on the boot lid in place of the licence plate. The tail lamps feature striking geometric LED detailing that compliment the DRLs up front. The reverse lights and the license plate holder are now placed on the rear bumper.

    The things that remind you that it’s an Elantra are the doors and the overall coupe-like silhouette. Even the pattern of the alloy wheels is new and we have to say that these look pretty good on the US-spec model.

    While the Elantra facelift gets extensive exterior updates, the interior remains largely unchanged. We were expecting Hyundai to redesign the centre console and incorporate a free-standing display, like it did with the Tucson facelift. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.

    The 2019 Elantra also gets updated AC vents and new steering wheel along with minor changes on the instrument cluster and switch gear. Hyundai has added some new features to make the package more modern. So, the  Elantra gets wireless phone charging and a new standard five-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with a rear-view camera. For overseas markets, the Elantra gets active safety features like forward collision-avoidance assist, lane keep assist, driver attention assist and safe exit assist as part of Hyundai’s SmartSense package.

     

  • Tata’s Jaguar to produce classic E-Type EV

    The electric version of the classic Jaguar E-Type, especially modelled for Prince Harry to drive Meghan Markle to their wedding reception in May, will go into production at the Tata Motor’s Jaguar Land Rover factory in the United Kingdom, and will hit the roads by 2020, the company said.

    The sleek sports car, Jaguar E-Type Zero, will be converted to electric power at its Classic works facility in Coventry by Jaguar Classic, a unit of the company which restores vintage models, said JLR.

    However, the price tag of the revamped Jaguar E-Type is yet to be revealed by the company.

    “We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the Jaguar E-type Zero concept. Future-proofing the enjoyment of classic car ownership is a major stepping stone for Jaguar Classic,” JLR Classic director Tim Hannig said.

    E-type Zero showcases the incredible heritage of the E-type, and the expertise and craftsmanship at Classic Works, while demonstrating Jaguar Land Rover’s dedication to create zero emission vehicles across every part of the business, including Jaguar Classic,” he said.

    JLR also said the owners of an E-type will be offered the option of converting their vehicles to electric power.

    The concept version of the car has a 40kWh battery, which can be recharged in six to seven hours. The latest version of the E-Type Zero, which has faster acceleration than the original Series 1 E-type, is set to be shown off at Monterey Car Week in California on Friday.

    JLR is already is set to build another electric vehicle — I-PACE — in Austria.

    Prince Harry, 33, the fifth in line to the British throne, married American actress Markle on May 19 this year at St George’s Chapel in iconic Windsor Castle.

     

     

  • Toyota subsidiaries to form self-driving tech group

    Several Toyota Group companies will form a joint-venture to develop self-driving technology, according to Japan’s Nikkei.

    By working together, the companies would reportedly be able to develop “integrated packages of self-driving systems” for future vehicles. Those “packages” would combine steering, braking and acceleration control with artificial intelligence technology.

    The joint venture is said to include Jtekt, Advics, Aisin Seiki and Denso, with the latter holding the majority stake. Nikkei reports that in addition to supplying components to Toyota, the joint venture would hope to sell its self-driving technologies to other automakers around the world. The joint venture could be established by the end of this year.

    Toyota is, like most major automakers, investing heavily in the research and development of future autonomous technologies. It plans to launch Level 3 autonomy, called Highway Teammate, under the Lexus brand in 2020. And at the 2020 Olympics, Toyota will supply running versions of its e-Palette self-driving car concept.

    The automaker has in recent years invested in artificial-intelligence research in Silicon Valley and Michigan.

    Earlier this year, it established a division called Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development in Tokyo with Denso and Aisin to further develop self-driving software. It’s also been rumoured that Uber would sell some of its self-driving technologies to Toyota.

     

  • Daimler Trucks delivers 50,000th Freightliner units

    Daimler Trucks reaches the mark of 50,000 vehicles sold in the US with its bestseller Freightliner New Cascadia since production started in January 2017.

    The 50,000th New Cascadia was handed over to the customer Cargo Transporters (Claremont, North Carolina).

    Currently, Cargo Transporters operates more than 550 Freightliner trucks, now including over 120 New Cascadia.

    The New Cascadia is the most successful truck for heavy transports on long haul routes in the North American market.

    Around four weeks ago, Daimler announced the first customers for the joint testing of the fully electric version of the Freightliner eCascadia. The first vehicles will be handed over to Penske Truck Leasing and NFI industries.

    With its trucks brands Freightliner and Western Star, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is the undisputed market leader with a market share of around 40 percent in the medium-duty and heavy-duty segments (Class 6-8).

     

  • Vehicles without number plates

    Recently, I featured an article on “Divers without Driver Licence”, which is very common on our roads and fuelling the rate of accidents.

    In this article, I would like to draw the attention of the relevant government agencies and other Nigerians to the dangerously increasing trend of vehicles without plate numbers.

    It has become a common trend seeing commercial buses, cars, tricycles and motorcycles moving on intra city and inter-state roads without number plates, particularly at the back.

    Fundamentally, number plates on a vehicle play very vital roles in identifying genuinely acquired vehicles and for the tracking of runaway vehicles involved in road accidents as well as vehicles that committed an offence or crime. Many vehicles operate on the road today without plate numbers while some are operating with wrongly fixed, faded and even borrowed plate numbers thereby fuelling criminality on Nigeria roads.

    This wicked and dangerous trend is surprisingly more common in Abuja, the seat of power. Last week, I decided to go round Abuja metropolis to investigate this problem and my findings are more than I can say in this article. Within 30 minutes of my stay at any point in Abuja, I saw not less than 10 vehicles without either the front, back or both plate numbers.

    Some of the drivers I interviewed told me that it is the Police and other government task force officers that removed their plate numbers because they were accused of committing one traffic offence or the other.

    I have been an active operator in transportation and road safety issues, but I have not seen any portion of the National Road Traffic Regulation that prescribed the removal of number plates as one of the punishment for committing traffic offence.

    If any of these drivers operating on the roads without number plates committed any offence and sped off, it will be difficult to track them for arrest.

    With this loophole already created by the police and task force, including the government revenue collectors, some criminals can deliberately remove their number plates to perpetrate any form of crime to avoid being apprehended through  their number plates.

    I hereby implore all the relevant government agencies in all the states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to desist from this dangerous practice of removing the number plates of the vehicles of offending drivers. They should carry out their duties as spelt out in the relevant Acts and traffic or revenue regulations. The lives of Nigerians are precious and should not be endangered on and off the roads.

  • Toyota unveils 8th Generation Camry

    Toyota (Nigeria) Limited (TNL) has unveiled the eighth Generation Camry.

    The event held at the TNL headquarters in Lekki, Lagos.

    The latest model has undergone  transformation from a proven sedan to one that pushes the limits. It is a model that has enjoyed high level of goodwill.

    The Camry model was first introduced in 1982 and has evolved through generations to what was launched last week.

    By 2015, over 18 million units have been sold across regions.

    The models introduced into the Nigeria are 2.5L and 3.5L Petrol engines.

    TNL Managing Director Kunle Ade-Ojo, who was represented by General Manager, Corporate Services, Mr Bunmi Onafowokan, described the latest model as a masterpiece

    Ade-Ojo said the Camry has enjoyed a high level of goodwill and acceptance not only for the superior quality engineering behind it but also for its stunning beauty.

    He said: “It is no exaggeration that the rich history of this model already imbues it with outstanding attributes peculiar only to all its siblings in our model line-up.  From its upgraded, trendier exterior to its spacious interior design, the latest model of the CAMRY available in 2.5L and 3.5L engines will readily arouse in its lovers a driving pleasure unparalleled in its class. Indeed it is a remarkable package of safety, comfort and performance in equal proportion.”

    Despite the unfriendly economy, Ade-Ojo said this had not deterred TNL. He added: “In fact, it has positively impacted on our creativity in responding to the demands of our dear customers all over Nigeria and we will continue to explore ways of keeping them satisfied and also uphold our culture of excellence.”

    He thanked their dealers and  reporters for their “consistent support even in this challenging business climate to ensure that we maintain our leadership position and the success of the Toyota brand in the Nigerian market”.

    The firm’s Marketing Manager Mr Bayo Olawoyin, who presented the car before unveiling, said its interior projects a feeling of excellence and a driving experience that everyone appreciates.

    The car’s key selling points include high efficiency, and high power next generation, dynamic force engine,” powerful acceleration and new direct shift 8AT contributing to low fuel consumption, sequential shifter that allows shift operation like in manual transmission, improved noise reduction.

    It is equipped with light weight high rigidity body and new suspension, new double wishbone rear suspension system, low centre of gravity resulting from overall height, floor height, lowered hood, high rigidity body with a 30 per cent increased torsional rigidity, new four point engine mount to reduce engine vibration transmitted to the cabin, sound deadening and sound insulation material with increased areas and thickness.

    The car comes with a world top class safety performance, which include high strength cabin and collision support body to effectively absorb and disperse shock and all speed dynamic radar cruise control.

    It has a seven-inch colour multi-information, which displays the car’s average fuel economy, compass heading and audio presets.

    The Camry offers eight-inch Multi-Media touch screen and available six speakers, 800-Watt Entune 3.0 Premium Audio. The advanced airbag standard comes with an Advanced Airbag System with advanced dual-stage SRS driver and front passenger airbags, in addition to front and rear side curtain airbags. There are nine airbags in all and all focuses on rider’s safety.

    When the brake-hold switch is on and the transmission is engaged other than Park or Reverse, the brake is automatically applied. In fact, the electronic parking brake will automatically engage after three minutes if the car has not moved.

    The car’s interior has been redesigned to be roomier especially for the rear occupants to enhance the luxury feel of the vehicle. The seats have also been redesigned to increase comfort for all occupants.